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Social Indicators Research

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14-06-2021 | Original Research

Mobile Internet Use and Multidimensional Poverty: Evidence from A Household Survey in Rural China

Authors: Long Yang, Haiyang Lu, Sangui Wang, Meng Li

Published in: Social Indicators Research | Issue 3/2021

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Abstract

Although reducing poverty has become an important issue for rural development in China, few studies have analyzed the role of mobile Internet use in multidimensional poverty. To fill this gap, this study investigated the impact of mobile Internet use on multidimensional poverty, using data collected from a household survey in rural China. Because households generally decide whether to use mobile Internet by themselves, an endogenous switching regression model was employed to control for potential selection bias. In total, 9.63% of the households were identified as multidimensionally poor and the adjusted multidimensional poverty incidence was 5.47%. The results also showed that mobile Internet use has a significant negative impact on multidimensional poverty. Further, we provide evidence of heterogeneity in the effect of mobile Internet use across regions. These findings highlight the importance of mobile Internet use in multidimensional poverty reduction strategies for rural households.

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Title: Mobile Internet Use and Multidimensional Poverty: Evidence from A Household Survey in Rural China
Authors: Long Yang
Haiyang Lu
Sangui Wang
Meng Li
Publication date: 14-06-2021
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Social Indicators Research / Issue 3/2021
Print ISSN: 0303-8300
Electronic ISSN: 1573-0921
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-021-02736-1

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