Socio-economic impact research
Our socio-economic impact (SIM) research project set out in 2004 to provide a systematic analysis of the impact of mobiles, going beyond the rich but scattered array of anecdotal evidence. The SIM project has covered three key areas so far.
Impact of mobile in Africa
The first set of studies explored the impact of mobile in Africa, where rapidly growing mobile use has been one of the very few areas in which the continent has been catching up with the rest of the world rather than falling further behind. The work, published in 2005, documented the boost to growth from greater mobile penetration, and found that even in remote rural communities there were fewer barriers to use of mobiles than might have been expected. Mobile technology can play a vital role in bridging the digital divide, particularly in rural areas where there is limited access to other forms of communication – roads, postal systems or fixed line phones.
Impact of mobile in healthcare
The second set of studies, published in March 2006, looked at the impact of mobile in healthcare, finding benefits for the users of health services, for public health undergoing a growing burden of diseases, and for health services efficiency.
Economic empowerment through mobile
The third stage of the SIM project is looking at specific products and services to assess their socio-economic impacts. This includes looking at the evolving role of mobile in micro-payments, the transmission of relatively small sums of money and provision of some basic banking services in countries where few people have any access to the security and convenience of a bank. This is a live issue for policy makers concerned about economic and social development, especially in countries with many migrant workers overseas. See our latest edition of Economic Empowerment through Mobile.
SIM Panel
The areas of research were decided in conjunction with the experts on the Vodafone Advisory Panel, a group of academics, officials and NGOs, chaired by Diane Coyle of Enlightenment Economics and University of Manchester.