Abstract:
The study examines the impact of internet usage on economic growth highlighting the challenges
faced by developing nations. While some data suggested that connectivity in Ghana was rising
quickly, infrastructure, connectivity, and accessibility seem to be deficient in specific areas or
throughout some developing countries. This current study applied autoregressive distributed lag
model (ARDL) to examine the effect of internet usage on economic growth in Ghana. It also
examined the effect of government effectiveness on economic growth in Ghana. Quarterly data
spanning a period from 2000 to 2020 was employed in the study. The study reveals that internet
usage positively impacts short-term economic growth. However, in the long-run internet usage
has a detrimental influence on economic growth. Government effectiveness has a significant
positive relationship with economic growth both in the long and short run. The composite effect
of internet usage and government effectiveness is positive and significant, affecting Ghana's
economic growth in both short and long terms. Based on the findings, the study recommends
governmental agencies support in improving internet infrastructure thus by directing more
resources to investing in infrastructure with the intention that it can target the vast majority of the
population to ensure more accessibility of the use of the internet to boost productivity. The study
also recommends that policies and programs that ensure policy formulation, implementation and
credibility of governments’ commitment to such policies are fundamental for long-term
sustainability of the economy.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Economics Education,
Faculty of Social Sciences Education, submitted to the School
Of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
Of the requirement for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Economics)
in the University of Education, Winneba
