White Paper Mobiles Econ Dev

Report

A Center for Global Development working paper by Jenny C. Aker and Isaac M. Mbiti, later published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, reviewing the decade-long growth of mobile phone technology in sub-Saharan Africa and its potential impact on quality of life. The paper finds current evidence points to positive effects of mobile coverage and adoption on agricultural and labour market efficiency in some countries, while cautioning that mobile technology is not a ‘silver bullet’ for African development and that rigorous impact evaluations, alongside complementary public investment, remain necessary to understand its true economic and social effects.