Digital entrepreneurship in a rural context: the implications of the rural-urban digital divide

Gerli, Paolo; Whalley, Jason

Abstract

Digital technologies are expected to encourage entrepreneurship by making it less spatially bounded, but there is increasing evidence that digital entrepreneurship remains geographically concentrated in a few locations. Drawing on interviews from Italy and the United Kingdom, this chapter aims to investigate the potential for digital entrepreneurship in a rural context with a specific focus on the implications of the rural-urban digital divide. The analysis confirms that broadband has become an essential input for any form of entrepreneurial activity. The emergence of digital entrepreneurship more specifically depends on the level of digital skills available. The latter also determines to what extent an individual can engage with more advanced forms of digital entrepreneurship, which generate the highest value for the entrepreneur and the economy. Consequently, this chapter also highlights the need for digital literacy programmes purposely tailored to the needs of rural entrepreneurs.

• Publication Date: Nov 4, 2022
• Deposit Date: Apr 19, 2023
• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
• Pages: 291-305
• Book Title: Handbook of Digital Entrepreneurship
• Chapter Number: 15
• ISBN: 9781800373624
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800373631.00026
• Keywords: Digital entrepreneurship; Rural entrepreneurship; Digital divide; Digital skills; Broadband access; Rural development