打破无形的障碍：快速互联网是否改善了进入投入市场的机会？

Policy Research Working Paper 11122 Breaking Invisible Barriers Does Fast Internet Improve Access to Input Markets? Banu DemirBeata JavorcikPiyush Paritosh Panigrahi Policy Research Working Paper11122 Abstract and rational inattention show that high-speed internetreduced information acquisition and communication costs.Enhanced connectivity increased real income by 2.2 per-cent in the median province. The findings underscore theimportance of digital infrastructure investments in fosteringeconomic growth by improving supply chain efficiency andbroadening firms’ access to suppliers. This paper explores how improved internet infrastructureimpacts supply chains and economic activity, focusing onTurkiye. Using the expansion of fiber-optic networks andfirm-to-firm transaction data, the paper finds that betterconnectivity shifts input sourcing to well-connected regionsand diversifies supplier networks. Estimates from a spatialequilibrium model with endogenous network formation The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about developmentissues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry thenames of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely thoseof the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank andits affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. Breaking Invisible Barriers: Does Fast Internet Improve Access to Input Markets? Banu Demir*Beata Javorcik†Piyush Panigrahi‡ 1Introduction Technological progress has made communication faster, more convenient, and moreaccessible, allowing people to connect with others in ways that were previously im-possible. The availability of high-speed internet enables remote face-to-face meet-ings among participants from multiple locations, exchanging large files, or simulta-neous working on data located on shared drives or in the cloud. Teams consistingof people working for different companies and located in different places can seam-lessly collaborate facilitating business-to-business transactions, exchange of infor-mation and troubleshooting, joint design, electronic billing, etc. Around the world,governments and multilateral development banks see digitalization, including in-vestment in high-speed internet connectivity, as a powerful tool for promoting eco-nomic growth and development. This paper studies empirically and theoretically the effects of the rollout of fastand reliable internet access on input sourcing and hence economic growth acrossspace. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first study using microdata on firm-to-firm transactions to assess the impact of ICT infrastructure improvements on firms’input sourcing patterns and quantifying the resulting welfare gains in a generalequilibrium setting.It is also the first study quantifying the contribution of twodistinct channels affected by communications infrastructure: the cost of acquiringinformation about potential suppliers and the cost of communications in the courseof running business operations. Our study is based on the empirical context of Türkiye, a country that has in-vested heavily in high-speed internet infrastructure and significantly expanded itsoptical fiber cable network between 2012 and 2019.Leveraging extensive micro-data on firm-to-firm transactions and the deployment of optical fiber cables acrossTurkish provinces, we find that firms exhibit a stronger propensity to acquire inputsfrom regions with superior internet connectivity. Further, firms diversify their in-put sourcing by engaging with a larger number of suppliers and distributing theirsourcing more equitably among suppliers located in provinces with improved in-ternet connectivity. We rationalize these findings with a spatial equilibrium modelthat incorporates rationally inattentive input sourcing by firms. We structurally es-timate the model and show that internet connectivity not only reduces the cost ofobtaining information about potential suppliers but also reduces the costs of syn- chronous communication with suppliers. Using the estimated model, we furthershow that the gains from improvement in the high-speed internet infrastructurein real income amount to 2.2% in the median Turkish province with comparablecontributions of both channels. Our analysis centers around the construction of an extensive administrative mi-crodata set from Türkiye, which comprises the following key components: (i) mi-crodata covering a quasi-comprehensive set of firm-to-firm transactions, comple-mented by essential firm characteristics such as location (province) and industryof operation, along with balance sheet information including gross sale