Does Internet Usage Stimulate the Accumulation of Social Capital? A Panel İnvestigation for Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development Countries

This study estimates the effects of the Internet and economic growth on the accumulation of social capital (measured by trust) using panel data for 19 OECD countries for the period 1985-2012. A cross sectional dependence (CD) test is performed. Having found the cross sectional dependence, a cross-s...

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Main Authors: Mohammad Salahuddin, Khorshed Alam, Lorelle Burton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: EconJournals 2016-03-01
Series:International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ijefi/issue/32008/353697?publisher=http-www-cag-edu-tr-ilhan-ozturk
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author Mohammad Salahuddin
Khorshed Alam
Lorelle Burton
author_facet Mohammad Salahuddin
Khorshed Alam
Lorelle Burton
author_sort Mohammad Salahuddin
collection DOAJ
description This study estimates the effects of the Internet and economic growth on the accumulation of social capital (measured by trust) using panel data for 19 OECD countries for the period 1985-2012. A cross sectional dependence (CD) test is performed. Having found the cross sectional dependence, a cross-sectionally augmented IPS (CIPS) unit root test is conducted to check for stationarity of data. All the variables were found first-difference stationary. Pedroni cointegration test confirms the presence of long-run relationship among the variables. This follows the application of Pooled Mean Group regression (PMG) technique to estimate the short- and long-run association between the variables. The findings suggest a highly significant negative long- run relationship between Internet usage and social capital and a positive relationship between them in the short-run. However, both long-run and short-run coefficients are small in magnitude. Economic growth stimulates social capital both in the short- and the long-run. That the Internet reduces social capital in the long-run implies that the gains in trust obtained from online connectivity were perhaps offset by the loss in the same due to decline in frequency of offline interaction caused by increasing online engagement. Economic growth stimulates activities in markets that engage into more frequent transactions between businesses that may result in increased trust. Finally, the findings of this study do not rule out the potential of including social capital issue into the digital divide policies of these countries.
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spelling doaj.art-c8790ce6af324c13ba41c02479c300b62023-02-15T16:18:10ZengEconJournalsInternational Journal of Economics and Financial Issues2146-41382016-03-01613473531032Does Internet Usage Stimulate the Accumulation of Social Capital? A Panel İnvestigation for Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development CountriesMohammad SalahuddinKhorshed AlamLorelle BurtonThis study estimates the effects of the Internet and economic growth on the accumulation of social capital (measured by trust) using panel data for 19 OECD countries for the period 1985-2012. A cross sectional dependence (CD) test is performed. Having found the cross sectional dependence, a cross-sectionally augmented IPS (CIPS) unit root test is conducted to check for stationarity of data. All the variables were found first-difference stationary. Pedroni cointegration test confirms the presence of long-run relationship among the variables. This follows the application of Pooled Mean Group regression (PMG) technique to estimate the short- and long-run association between the variables. The findings suggest a highly significant negative long- run relationship between Internet usage and social capital and a positive relationship between them in the short-run. However, both long-run and short-run coefficients are small in magnitude. Economic growth stimulates social capital both in the short- and the long-run. That the Internet reduces social capital in the long-run implies that the gains in trust obtained from online connectivity were perhaps offset by the loss in the same due to decline in frequency of offline interaction caused by increasing online engagement. Economic growth stimulates activities in markets that engage into more frequent transactions between businesses that may result in increased trust. Finally, the findings of this study do not rule out the potential of including social capital issue into the digital divide policies of these countries.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ijefi/issue/32008/353697?publisher=http-www-cag-edu-tr-ilhan-ozturkeconomic growth internet usage organization of economic cooperation and development panel data social capital
spellingShingle Mohammad Salahuddin
Khorshed Alam
Lorelle Burton
Does Internet Usage Stimulate the Accumulation of Social Capital? A Panel İnvestigation for Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development Countries
International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues
economic growth
internet usage
organization of economic cooperation and development
panel data
social capital
title Does Internet Usage Stimulate the Accumulation of Social Capital? A Panel İnvestigation for Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development Countries
title_full Does Internet Usage Stimulate the Accumulation of Social Capital? A Panel İnvestigation for Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development Countries
title_fullStr Does Internet Usage Stimulate the Accumulation of Social Capital? A Panel İnvestigation for Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development Countries
title_full_unstemmed Does Internet Usage Stimulate the Accumulation of Social Capital? A Panel İnvestigation for Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development Countries
title_short Does Internet Usage Stimulate the Accumulation of Social Capital? A Panel İnvestigation for Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development Countries
title_sort does internet usage stimulate the accumulation of social capital a panel investigation for organization of economic cooperation and development countries
topic economic growth
internet usage
organization of economic cooperation and development
panel data
social capital
url https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ijefi/issue/32008/353697?publisher=http-www-cag-edu-tr-ilhan-ozturk
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AT lorelleburton doesinternetusagestimulatetheaccumulationofsocialcapitalapanelinvestigationfororganizationofeconomiccooperationanddevelopmentcountries