Internet access and its role on educational inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic

Özge Korkmaz; Elif Erer; Deniz Erer

doi:10.1016/j.telpol.2022.102353

Internet access and its role on educational inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic

Telecomm Policy. 2022 Jun;46(5):102353. doi: 10.1016/j.telpol.2022.102353. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Authors

Özge Korkmaz¹, Elif Erer², Deniz Erer²

Affiliations

¹ Malatya Turgut Özal University, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Management Information System, Yeşilyurt, Malatya, Turkey.
² Independent Researcher, Izmir, Turkey.

Abstract

This study investigates the determinants of Internet access and its effect on educational inequality in OECD countries during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. The spatial panel data model is used to include the neighborhood in the model relating to educational inequality. The findings from the study reveal that despite the increase in Internet access during the Covid-19 period, the response to the pandemic has caused education inequalities. Furthermore, economic development indicators are effective in increasing Internet access and reducing educational inequality. Finally, the study shows that, as improvements in income levels can increase Internet access, which results in a reduction in educational inequality.

Keywords: Covid-19; Educational inequality; Information and communications technologies; Internet; Spatial econometrics.