Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay

Published July 2005

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We examine associations of mass media and information and communications technologies (ICT) as knowledge-based infrastructures on some economic development outcomes. We .nd that several mass media and ICT penetration variables are negatively associated with three development outcomes: corruption, inequality and poverty. Of the media variables, newspapers are observed to have a robust negative association with both corruption and inequality. Radios and TVs are also observed to have a robust negative association with inequality and poverty. ICTs and telephony infrastructures.association with corruption, inequality and poverty are mixed. There is some robust evidence of the negative association of ICT expenditures with corruption. An ICT index is constructed, which also has a negative association with corruption. ICTs association with inequality varies with the sample chosen - it is positively associated with inequality for the sample with both developed and developing countries, but negatively associated with inequality for the developing country sample. Finally, ICT expenditure is negatively associated with poverty.