Internet Access and Farm Household Income - Empirical Evidence using a Semi-parametric Assessment in Taiwan

There is considerable literature examining individuals' behaviour with respect to Internet use, but less attention is paid to farm household use of the Internet. Among the few studies on farm households, the emphasis is on the correlation between socioeconomic factors and the adoption of the Internet. Thus, relatively little is known about the association between Internet use and farm household well-being. In an effort to fill this void, this paper investigates Internet access among farm households and examines the effects of Internet access on farm household income. Given the observed income gap between Internet users and non-users, we then investigate the extent to which socioeconomic factors may be associated with this income gap. Using a nationwide survey of farm households in Taiwan, a novel econometric model is proposed and estimated employing a semi-parametric technique. Our results support the conclusion that Internet use improves farm household income. Most of the income gap between adopters and non-adopters can be explained by the differences in the return of the socioeconomic factors.