The Skill Complementarity of Broadband Internet *

2015/07/16 by Anders Akerman, Anders Åkerman, Ingvil Gaarder +1 · 779 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Engineering · #Broadband #Business #Complementarity (molecular biology) #Computer science #Economic growth #Economics #Engineering #Firm Innovation and Growth #Government (linguistics) #ICT Impact and Policies #Industrial organization #Internet access #Labor market dynamics and wage inequality #Labour economics #Norwegian #Productivity #Telecommunications #The Internet

paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/qje/qjv028

published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics 130(4), 1781-1824 (Oxford University Press)

openalex publication_date 2015/07/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

Abstract Does adoption of broadband internet in firms enhance labor productivity and increase wages? Is this technological change skill biased or factor neutral? We combine several Norwegian data sets to answer these questions. A public program with limited funding rolled out broadband access points and provides plausibly exogenous variation in the availability and adoption of broadband internet in firms. Our results suggest that broadband internet improves (worsens) the labor market outcomes and productivity of skilled (unskilled) workers. We explore several possible explanations for the skill complementarity of broadband internet. We find suggestive evidence that broadband adoption in firms complements skilled workers in executing nonroutine abstract tasks, and substitutes for unskilled workers in performing routine tasks. Taken together, our findings have important implications for the ongoing policy debate over government investment in broadband infrastructure to encourage productivity and wage growth.

Citations

• Broadband Infrastructure and Economic Growth
• Identification and Estimation of Local Average Treatment Effects
• What Determines Productivity?

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