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Cited by 46Global trade and economicsEconomic Growth and ProductivityEconomic Growth and Development

Data, development, and growth

Weber, Steven·2017·Business and Politics
DOI 10.1017/bap.2017.3
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Abstract

Economic development and growth theory have long grappled with the consequences of cross-border flows of goods, services, ideas, and people. But the most significant growth in cross-border flows now comes in the form of data. Like other flows, data flows can demonstrate imbalances among exports and imports. Some of these flows represent ‘raw’ data while others represent high-value-added data products. Does any of this make a difference in national economic development trajectories? This paper argues that the answer is yes. After reviewing the core logic of ‘high development theories’ from the twentieth century, I analyze the sometimes implicit applications of these arguments to data as they are evolving in the existing literature. I then put forward a different argument which takes better account of unique characteristics of the political economy that emerges at the intersection of data, machine learning, and the platform firms that use them. I explore the implications of this new argument for some policy choices that governments face with regard to data localization, import substitution, and other decisions relevant to growth in both advanced and emerging economies.

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  • Merely relying on AI exports to the Global South for a CE transition could further exacerbate problematic dependency-agency issues.

    “Accordingly, merely relying on AI exports to the Global South for a CE transition could further exacerbate many problematic dependency-agency issues that characterise current AI dynamics (Weber 2017), and which have long been criticised by international development scholars (Frank 1986).”

    From Artificial intelligence in support of the circular economy: ethical considerations and a path forward (2024) · cites this paper as Weber 2017

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Authors
Weber, S.
Corresponding author
Weber, Steven
ORCID
Weber, Steven
Venue
Business and Politics
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2017-04-17
Volume
19
Issue
3
Pages
397-423
ISSN
  • 1369-5258 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-3569
DOI
10.1017/bap.2017.3
OpenAlex
W2607395863
Cited by
46
References
23
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1
FWCI
5.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified)
Locations
  • Business and Politics (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › General Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Global trade and economics
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economic Growth and Productivity
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Economic Growth and Development
Keywords
data flow, cross-border data flows, economic development, economic growth, data localization, import substitution, machine learning, platform companies, political economy of data, data products, emerging markets, developed countries

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