SPATIAL INEQUALITIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES USE: THE CASE OF FRENCH INDUSTRIAL FIRMS

In this paper, we consider the factors influencing the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by firms and intend to identify the sources of inequalities in this process. We test the influence of organizational and spatial factors on the intensity of ICT use by French industrial firms, and notably the influence of the more or less urban nature (vs rural) of their location. We then examine the determinants of firms' behavior according to their location. We find that being located in a rural area-size and sector effects being controlled for-reduces the probability of ICT adoption and the intensity of their use. Beyond the existence of this technological gap between urban and rural areas, the results also highlight the influence of the qualification level of labour in firms and more globally of their structural attributes and modes of organization.