Have IT improvements had positive impacts on international trade?

Abstract

IT (Information Technology) was invented and penetrated into our daily lives and business world from the 1980s. It has also spread quickly in developed economies. This study examines whether such phenomenon has impacted international trade. More concretely, this study empirically examines the relationship (1) between the improvement of banking and financial services and international trade, (2) between the Internet speed and international trade, and (3) mobile subscribers and international trade. The empirical results show that GDP per capita is positively related with international trade significantly. Moreover, they show that banking and financial services can increase international trade. Also, Internet speed is significantly associated with promoting international trade. However, there is no evidence that the spreading use of mobile has caused increasing international trade. If the pros of the spreading use of mobile related IT are large, there is some room for promoting this transition. Security, reliability, and so on are key factors to promote mobile into business, including international trade.