The impact of unequal access to telephones: case study of a Nigerian fabric Weaving Micro-Enterprise

Authors: Jagun Abi, Whalley Jason, Ackermann Fran

Keywords: Telecommunications

Management Science Working Paper No. 21 (2005)

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Abstract

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This paper examines the use of telephones by participants engaged in a micro-enterprise within a developing country. Demand for telephones is seen to derive from a demand for information and telephones are used to address some of the information imperfections that exist within the industry. However, due to cost constraints, telephones are accessed by participants in different ways. Private ownership of telephones provides the most benefit to participants, allowing for greater autonomy and speedier awareness of trade opportunities. Irrespective of the type of access identified, this paper found that telephone use reinforced the dependence of participants on intermediaries. This is in contrast to predictions by other studies of telephone use diminishing the relevance and role of intermediaries (Samuel et al. 2005).

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