Note:

I just uploaded a file "Final PresentationShared" which is a copy of the powerpoint presentation that I gave in class on Monday.

Research Question:

• What are the usage patterns and habits of ‘traditional media’ (television, radio, and public phones) and ICTs (Internet, cell phones) across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa?
• Within each country, what are differences in terms of area (“Major urban+other urban” vs. rural) and in terms of gender (female vs. male)?
• What are some factors affecting these usage habits? Is there any correlation between usage patterns and GDP per capita or human development index?

I will likely focus on Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, S. Africa, Tanzania, as these are the countries where most of the data are available across variables of interest.

Hypothesis:

(Note: I will need to review my hypotheses once I review more carefully the literature)

H1: Usage habits of traditional media will be similar across Sub-Saharan African countries.

H2: Usage habits of ICTs will be different across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The countries with higher levels of GDP per capita and / or a higher human development index will have higher usage of ICTs.

H3: Within a country, usage of both traditional media and ICTs will be higher in “Major urban+urban” vs. rural areas.

H4: Within a country, usage of traditional media will be similar across males and females.

H5: Within a country, usage of ICTs will be higher among males vs. females. 

Why is research question interesting?

There is growing interest in understanding the media and communications landscape in Africa. This is especially true given the potential for ICTs to enhance development efforts.

Methodology:

Descriptive analysis of quantitative data provided by Research ICT Africa. I will also try to run some simple correlations.