[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-113086-en":3,"doc-seo-113086-105":29,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":90},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":27,"read_time":28},113086,549758146520,"Patrick","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/80002397d8c0411e94?_k=1775819394049821470",8,"Research & Report","Mobile Broadband, Poverty, and Labor Outcomes in Tanzania - Research Analysis","This paper evaluates how expanding mobile broadband coverage affects poverty, household consumption, and labor-market outcomes in developing countries. Using difference-in-differences estimation, it combines panel household survey data with geospatial rollout information for Tanzania. Results show that 3G network coverage increases total household consumption and reduces poverty, driven by improvements in labor-market conditions. Working-age residents in covered areas raise labor-force participation, wage employment, and non-farm self-employment while decreasing farm employment, with effects varying by age, gender, and skill.","Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized  \nThe World Bank Economic Review, 37(2), 2023, 235–256  \n[https://doi.org10.1093/wber/lhad003](https://doi.org10.1093/wber/lhad003)  \nArticle  \nMobile Broadband, Poverty, and Labor Outcomes in Tanzania  \nKalvin Bahia, Pau Castells, Genaro Cruz, Takaaki Masaki , Carlos Rodríguez-Castelán, and Viviane Sanfelice  \nAbstract  \nWhat are the impacts of expanding mobile broadband coverage on poverty, household consumption, and labormarket outcomes in developing countries? Who benefits from improved coverage of mobile internet? To respond to these questions, this paper applies a difference-in-differences estimation using panel household survey data combined with geospatial information on the rollout of mobile broadband coverage in Tanzania. The results reveal that being covered by 3G networks has a large positive effect on total household consumption and poverty reduction, driven by positive impacts on labor-market outcomes. Working-age individuals living in areas covered by mobile internet witnessed an increase in labor-force participation, wage employment, and non-farm self-employment, and a decline in farm employment. These effects vary by age, gender, and skill level. Younger and more skilled men benefit the most through higher labor-force participation and wage employment, while high-skilled women benefit from transitions from self-employed farm work into non-farm employment.  \nJEL classification: F63, I31, L86, O12  \nKeywords: Africa, consumption, labor-force participation, welfare, Tanzania  \n1. Introduction  \nEnabling universal access to the internet is deemed a critical step towards achieving prosperity in developing countries. In line with this target, the digital landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa has been changing  \nKalvin Bahia is Principal Economist at GSMA, London, UK; his email address [is kbahia@gsma.com. Pau Castells](is kbahia@gsma.com. Pau Castells) is Head of Economic Analysis at GSMA, London, UK; his email address [is pcastells@gsma.com. Genaro Cruz](is pcastells@gsma.com. Genaro Cruz) is Managing Partner and Co-founder of Tenolli, London, UK; his email address is [cruzgenaro@gmail.com. Takaaki Masaki](cruzgenaro@gmail.com. Takaaki Masaki) (corresponding author) is Senior Economist at the World Bank Poverty & Equity Global Practice and the World Bank/UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement, Copenhagen, Denmark; his email address is [tmasaki@worldbank.org. Carlos Rodr](tmasaki@worldbank.org. Carlos Rodr)íguez-Castelánis Lead Economist at the World Bank Poverty & Equity Global Practice, Washington DC, USA, and also Research Fellow at IZA, Bonn, Germany; his email address is [crodriguezc@worldbank.org. Viviane](crodriguezc@worldbank.org. Viviane) Sanfelice is Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics, Temple University, Philadelphia PA, USA; her email address [is viviane.sanfelice@temple.edu. The](is viviane.sanfelice@temple.edu. The)[ ](is viviane.sanfelice@temple.edu. The)authors wish to thank Tim Kelly, Dhiraj Sharma, Maurice Kugler, Siobhan Murray, Arden Finn, Nadia Belhaj Hassine, and Jonathan Kastelic for their comments and advice. This study received funding from the Digital Development Partnership Trust Fund and from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent, or the UK government’s official policies, or those of the GSMA and GSMA Intelligence. A supplementary online appendix is available with this article at The World Bank Economic Review website.  \n© 2023 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. Published by Oxford University Press.  \nDownloaded from [https://academic.oup.com/wber/article/37/2/235/7028405 by ","cbCaigAY6yKFziHv","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaigAY6yKFziHv","pdf",469804,1,28,"English","en",105,"# Introduction\n## Research Questions\n## Data and Identification Strategy\n# Difference-in-Differences Estimation\n## Outcomes and Mechanisms","[{\"question\":\"How does mobile broadband coverage affect poverty and household consumption in Tanzania?\",\"answer\":\"Being covered by 3G networks increases total household consumption and leads to poverty reduction. The gains are linked to labor-market improvements.\"},{\"question\":\"Which labor-market outcomes change for people living in mobile internet covered areas?\",\"answer\":\"Working-age individuals increase labor-force participation, wage employment, and non-farm self-employment, while farm employment declines.\"},{\"question\":\"Do the effects differ across demographic groups?\",\"answer\":\"Yes. The results vary by age, gender, and skill level, with younger and more skilled men benefiting the most, while high-skilled women see shifts from self-employed farm work into non-farm employment.\"}]",1784500001,71,{"code":4,"msg":30,"data":31},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":32,"title":13,"keywords":33,"description":14,"schema_data":34,"social_meta":85,"head_meta":87,"extra_data":89,"updated_unix":27},"mobile-broadband-poverty-and-labor-outcomes-in-tanzania-research-analysis","",{"@graph":35,"@context":84},[36,53,67],{"@type":37,"itemListElement":38},"BreadcrumbList",[39,43,47,50],{"item":40,"name":41,"@type":42,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":44,"name":45,"@type":42,"position":46},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":42,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":42,"position":52},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/mobile-broadband-poverty-and-labor-outcomes-in-tanzania-research-analysis/113086/",4,{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":61,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":62,"interactionStatistic":63},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":40,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-19",true,{"@type":64,"interactionType":65,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":66},"ViewAction",{"@type":68,"mainEntity":69},"FAQPage",[70,76,80],{"name":71,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":73},"How does mobile broadband coverage affect poverty and household consumption in Tanzania?","Question",{"text":74,"@type":75},"Being covered by 3G networks increases total household consumption and leads to poverty reduction. The gains are linked to labor-market improvements.","Answer",{"name":77,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":78},"Which labor-market outcomes change for people living in mobile internet covered areas?",{"text":79,"@type":75},"Working-age individuals increase labor-force participation, wage employment, and non-farm self-employment, while farm employment declines.",{"name":81,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":82},"Do the effects differ across demographic groups?",{"text":83,"@type":75},"Yes. 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