Ifad Research Series 52 Information And Communication Technologies And Rural Youth

Download or read book IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 52 - Information and Communication Technologies and Rural Youth written by Jenny C. Aker and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.