Research

The COVID-19 crisis accelerated the digital transition and reinforced the existing digital divide. This paper aims to identify the determinants of internet inequalities in access, usage, and type of usage in France and the reasons behind the lack of access to the internet. Using French Institute of Statistics (INSEE) surveys between 2007 and 2019 and pseudo-panel methodology, we show that generation, education, and income are significant determinants of the probability of having an internet access and to use it. However, disparities in the type of internet use are less pronounced. The fight against the digital divide in France must therefore be directed at facilitating access to an Internet connection. The two main barriers are the lack of skills and the cost of internet access. Hence, we recommend investing in digital education and providing financial support to bridge the digital divide.

Since their development, digital technologies have had a limited impact on economic growth. This article addresses this paradox and studies the impacts of the Digital Transition on the economy. After defining the main characteristics of the Digital Transition, we study the similarities and differences between the first and second industrial revolutions. The different barriers that hinder the impact of digital technology on economic growth are then presented. Finally, the hypothesis that the impact of the Digital Transition would not be on economic growth but directly on the well-being of individuals is developed.

Digital technology has enabled the rise of free digital services financed by advertising. These services are increasingly popular and enable a few digital firms to generate significant revenue, although GDP does not directly consider them. This paper presents a growth model with digital services providers collecting household data in exchange for their services, which are used to sell targeted advertising to traditional firms. It enables us to study the impacts of this sector on key macroeconomic aggregates and welfare within the American context. Our results highlight that enhanced activity among large providers (new entry, greater efficiency in producing service quality or advertising) positively impacts the economy. Data collection enables small providers to compete with large ones, which benefit from greater user attention. Household preferences, such as sensitivity to privacy, also play a role, potentially hindering the free digital services sector’s economic impact. 

This paper revisits the question of whether fixed and mobile Internet expenditures are substitutable or complementary. We estimate a demand system using French household expenditure data to compute price elasticities for different categories of goods. The results indicate that fixed and mobile Internet expenditures are complementary in France. This complementarity effect increases with income level. We then develop a simple theoretical model showing that depending on the characteristics of fixed and mobile data tariffs, fixed and mobile Internet expenditures can exhibit non-substitutability or even complementarity.

Digital production and consumption represent 3,2% of the French greenhouse gas emissions. This paper seeks to analyze the distributional effects and efficiency of a tax on mobile internet to limit the environmental impact of digital. To this aim, we theoretically study the reaction of a monopolist selling mobile data subscriptions to two types of consumers. We demonstrate that in a market with price discrimination,  the monopolist responds to the tax by lowering both the price and the data allowance of these subscriptions. Then, we empirically study the French households’ reaction to the tax implementation according to the market structure. We find that, unlike a tax on goods sold at unit price, a tax on mobile data subscriptions is not necessarily regressive. 

This research project focuses on the regulation of data centers, whose environmental impact is growing rapidly, particularly with the massive expansion of artificial intelligence.  

This research project focuses on the coordination of national environmental policies within the framework of the Green Deal approved by the European Union in 2020. 

This paper aims to study the existence of a digital divide between immigrants and natives in France using Insee's Information and Communication Technology surveys between 2015 and 2023.