Authors
Simon Columbus
Publication date
2012
Book
N. Ekekwe & N. Islam, Disruptive Technologies, Innovation and Global Redesign: Emerging Implications
Pages
46-62
Publisher
Hershey, PA: IGI Global
Description
The authors of this chapter provide an inter-disciplinary review of studies on economic impacts of mobile telephony in developing countries, giving particular attention to the disruptive potential of the technology and its associated social practices. Four major areas of impact are identified: the emergence of a mobile phone economy around retail and service provision, including mobile banking; a significant reduction in search costs with profound impacts on market efficiency and, possibly, welfare distribution; changes in the formation and maintenance of trusting relationships between market actors as face-to-face contact is replaced with remote communication; and facilitated organisation and cooperation within and among firms, as well as changing credit procurement practices. While the mobile phone has been hailed for its transformative power, the authors tentatively conclude that its impact in most areas is not …
Total citations
20122013201420152016201720182019202020211111