中文摘要
移动互联网已成为一项基础的现代基础设施。我们基于地理编码的信号基站构建了细颗粒度的本地连接度量,考察互联网接入如何影响菲律宾的家庭财富,并通过基于与海底电缆登陆点接近程度的工具变量识别因果影响。结果表明,移动互联网连接提高了家庭财富,效应存在于各个教育水平群体中,且在城市地区最为显著。我们考察了潜在的机制,发现连接性的改善刺激了关键经济部门的活动,改善了教育结果,并提高了女性劳动参与率,且主要体现在偶发性工作上。鉴于菲律宾作为主要劳务输出国这一背景,我们进行了补充性事件研究,结果表明基站的铺设可能促进了国际劳务移民,并增加了流向来源地家庭的汇款。
Abstract
Mobile internet has become a fundamental modern infrastructure. We consider how access influences household wealth in the Philippines using a granular measure of local connectivity based on geocoded cell towers and identify causal impact through an instrument based on proximity to submarine cable landing points. Our results show that mobile internet connectivity increases household wealth, with effects across education levels and most pronounced in urban areas. We investigate potential mechanisms and find that improved connectivity stimulates activity in key economic sectors, improves educational outcomes, and increases female labor force participation, primarily in occasional work. Given the context of the Philippines as a major migrant-sending country, we conduct a complementary event study which suggests that tower rollout may facilitate international labor migration and increase remittance flows to origin households.