中文摘要
尽管已有研究主要关注信息技术（IT）以及个人和企业采用 IT 的直接价值，本研究探讨以公共基础设施技术形式存在的 IT 间接价值。通过利用水质监测站的空间断点，我们发现位于水质监测站紧邻上游的企业，其腐败程度显著低于位于紧邻下游的企业。这些发现尤其值得注意，因为水质监测站并非专为减少腐败而设计，却有可能产生显著的间接价值。进一步分析表明，仅靠公共基础设施技术本身并不足以减少企业腐败。相反，正是公共基础设施技术与组织变革之间的协同互动推动了这一结果。这些发现有助于更深入地理解更广泛的 IT 价值图景，强调公共基础设施中技术进步所带来的、并非原本旨在实现的间接价值。此外，我们的发现凸显了利用既有基础设施技术来应对新兴社会需求的益处。
Abstract
Although prior research has primarily focused on the direct value of information technology (IT) and IT adoption by individuals and firms, this study explores the indirect value of IT in the form of public infrastructure technology. By exploiting a spatial discontinuity in water monitoring stations, we discover that firms located immediately upstream of water monitoring stations exhibit significantly lower levels of corruption than firms located immediately downstream. These findings are particularly noteworthy given that water monitoring stations have the potential to generate significant indirect value as they are not explicitly designed to mitigate corruption. Further analyses reveal that public infrastructure technology alone does not hold the key to mitigating corporate corruption. Instead, it is the synergistic interplay between public infrastructure technology and organizational change that drives the outcome. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the broader IT value landscape, emphasizing the indirect value of technological advancements in public infrastructure that were not originally intended for such benefit. Additionally, our findings highlight the benefits of leveraging existing infrastructure technology to address emerging societal needs.