Pandemics uncertainty and informational globalization in CEE countries: The role of innovation diffusion

Zhou Lu; Yajie Huang; Peiliang Du; Fang Li; Zhenhui Li

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21489

Pandemics uncertainty and informational globalization in CEE countries: The role of innovation diffusion

Heliyon. 2023 Oct 30;9(11):e21489. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21489. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Zhou Lu^{1

2}, Yajie Huang¹, Peiliang Du², Fang Li², Zhenhui Li³

Affiliations

¹ School of Economics, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin, China.
² School of Management, Qingdao City University, Qingdao, China.
³ School of Economics and Management, Communication University of China, Beijing, China.

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how information is shared and processed worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the globalization of information, causing shifts in communication, information dissemination, and technology. This paper investigates the impact of pandemics-related uncertainty on the index of de facto informational globalization (the measure based on high-technology exports, international patents, and used internet bandwidth). The paper uses the panel dataset of 18 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries from 1990 to 2020. The results indicate that pandemics-related uncertainty negatively affects the informational globalization level in the CEE economies. The findings are robust in utilizing different estimation techniques and considering NATO member CEE countries.

Keywords: CEE economies; Informational globalization; Innovation diffusion; Pandemics; The COVID-19 pandemic.