ICT Adoption and Subjective Well-Being in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of adopting information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the perception of happiness in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), drawing on a dataset spanning the years 1993–2023. The choice of this timeframe is strictly guided by the availability and reliability of the variables employed, primarily sourced from the World Happiness Report and the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. The empirical analysis applies the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FM-OLS) method, which is particularly suitable for examining long-run time series dynamics, and reveals a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between ICT development and improvements in well-being in the DRC, with coefficients of 0.182**, 0.288***, 0.168***, 0.193***, 0.189***, and 0.165*** across the various model specifications. The persistence of these ICT coefficients suggests that even modest gains in digital access can generate meaningful effects on both individual and collective welfare, fostering greater opportunities for social and economic inclusion in a context characterized by structural fragility and relatively low income levels. The findings underscore that digital infrastructures should not be regarded merely as technical tools, but rather as strategic levers of social transformation and fundamental drivers of human development. Therefore, it is essential that public policies adopt an integrated strategy combining the expansion of digital infrastructure, the enhancement of human capital, the strengthening of financial inclusion, and the targeted allocation of resources toward high social-value sectors. Such a coordinated approach linking technological progress, economic dynamism, and institutional stability could become a key driver for the sustainable improvement of happiness in the DRC, transforming growth into tangible social progress for the entire population.