Are Changes in the Digital Divide Consistent with Global Equality or Inequality?

To answer the question in the title, the author divides a sample of developing countries according to whether they have experienced a rise or fall of the (absolute) digital divide in the Internet. He suggests that in countries where the divide is falling, incomes will tend to be relatively high, and vice versa in the case of a rising divide. This relationship is examined on the basis of simple regression analysis; the analysis indicates the hypothesis is true with a high level of significance. Interpretation of the findings is carried out mainly in relation to countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In short, recent changes in the digital divide are associated with global inequality rather than equality, although there are some important anomalies that need to be explained.