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Technology, computers, and wages : evidence from a developing economy

Author

Listed:
  • Sakellariou, Chris N.
  • Patrinos, Harry A.
Abstract
Increasing returns to schooling and rising inequality are well documented for industrial countries and for some developing countries. The growing demand for skills is associated with recent technological developments. The authors argue that computers in the workplace represent one manifestation of these changes. Research in the United States and industrial countries documents a premium for computer use. But there is recent evidence suggesting that computer skills by themselves do not command a wage premium. The authors review the literature and use data from a survey of higher education graduates in Vietnam. The results support the unobserved heterogeneity explanation for computer wage premiums. They suggest that computers may make the productive workers even more productive. However, given the scarcity of computers in low-income countries, an operational strategy of increasing computer availability and skills would seem to offer considerable hope for increasing the incomes of the poor.

Suggested Citation

  • Sakellariou, Chris N. & Patrinos, Harry A., 2003. "Technology, computers, and wages : evidence from a developing economy," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3008, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:3008
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Joaquin Marandino & Phanindra V. Wunnava, 2017. "The Effect of Access to Information and Communication Technology on Household Labor Income: Evidence from One Laptop Per Child in Uruguay," Economies, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-10, September.
    2. Poole, Jennifer & Santos-Paulino, Amelia & Sokolova, Maria & DiCaprio, Alisa, 2017. "The Impact of Trade and Technology on Skills in Viet Nam," ADBI Working Papers 770, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    3. Anh Pham & Jennifer P. Poole & Amelia U. Santos-Paulino, . "Foreign investment and female employment in Viet Nam," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    4. Vinod Mishra & Russell Smyth, 2014. "Technological Change and Wages in China: Evidence from Matched Employer–Employee Data," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 123-138, February.
    5. Oosterbeek, Hessel & Ponce, Juan, 2011. "The impact of computer use on earnings in a developing country: Evidence from Ecuador," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 434-440, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Information Technology; General Technology; Educational Technology and Distance Education; ICT Policy and Strategies; Teaching and Learning; ICT Policy and Strategies; General Technology; Educational Technology and Distance Education; Teaching and Learning; Primary Education;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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