IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 52 - Information and Communication Technologies and Rural Youth
IFAD Research Series 52 (2019)
30 Pages Posted: 28 Apr 2020 Last revised: 5 Jun 2020
Date Written: December 12, 2019
Abstract
Despite the importance of rural youth for productivity, growth and development in lower- and middleincome countries, these populations have some of the highest rates of unemployment in the world. Rural youth face particular constraints in terms of labour market participation, including smaller social networks, low literacy rates, less work experience and limited access to capital (Robalino et al, 2013). Youth employment programmes have the potential to address these constraints, but they are often characterized by low enrolment, high dropout and uncertain returns. While the growth of digital technology offers new opportunities to address some of the issues associated with youth employment, research on their impacts is limited and results are mixed. We review existing research on the impact of digital initiatives on youth in the education, agriculture, financial and employment sectors, before proposing several ways forward for using digital technology to improve the impact of these programmes.
Keywords: rural youth, communication, information technologies, digital finance, employment
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