How big is the digital divide between rural and urban areas in Poland?

Janc, Krzysztof; Siłka, Piotr

doi:1642-4689

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Title: How big is the digital divide between rural and urban areas in Poland?

Abstract:

In view of the development opportunities, the rural areas have a lower potential when compared to cities and towns. This disadvantage is caused mainly by smaller population densities, greater distances from urban markets as well as information, work, education, and most other resources. Seen from the perspective of the rural areas the Internet means a possibility of equal development chances between the rural and city inhabitants. Access to the Internet means availability of work (telework), administration, education, services offered on-line that are impossible to obtain elsewhere, of different kinds of databases, entertainment as well as contact with other users. Thus, both social and economic aspects can be distinguished. These aspects can be studied in the digital divide context, which the authors try to investigate in this paper.

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