Does Software Piracy Mitigate Poverty?: Evidence from Developing and Latin America Countries

Abstract

This study analyzes the effect of usage of pirated software on poverty by using six prominent poverty indicators for the samples of developing and Latin America countries. The data utilized in models is out of balance and employ the period between 2003 and 2017. Our hypothesis asserts that increases in usage of pirated software diminish poverty in developing and Latin America countries. Firstly, univariate analyses are conducted, and the results of univariate analyses are demonstrated that there is a statistically significant opposite relationship between usage of pirated software and poverty in all six distinct poverty models. Secondly, three control variables (i.e., unemployment, health expenditure, and human capital) were included to our six poverty models to find out if the finding of univariate analyses retains its validity. The statistically significant reverse relationship between usage of pirated software and poverty remained the same after the inclusion of the three covariates. In other words, usage of pirated software maintains its negative significant effect on poverty in all models for both developing and Latin America countries samples. In consideration of the control variables, statistically significant negative coefficients were obtained for health expenditure and human capital whereas a positive coefficient was obtained for unemployment.

Keywords

• Software Piracy
• Poverty
• Developing Countries
• Latin America Countries
• Panel Study

Does Software Piracy Mitigate Poverty?: Evidence from Developing and Latin America Countries

Abstract

Bu çalışma korsan yazılım kullanımının yoksulluk üzerindeki etkisini gelişmekte olan ekonomiler ve Latin Amerika ülkeleri için altı farklı yoksulluk göstergesi kullanarak analiz etmektedir. Çalışmanın modellerinde dengesiz panel yardımıyla 2003-2017 dönemi verileri kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın temel hipotezi; korsan yazılım kullanımındaki artışın yoksulluk seviyesini hafifleteceğidir. Birinci olarak, tek değişkenli analiz sonuçlarında; tüm farklı yoksulluk modellerinde korsan yazılım kullanımı ile yoksulluk değişkenleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ve negatif ilişki elde edilmiştir. İkinci olarak; işsizlik, sağlık harcamaları ve beşerî sermaye kontrol değişkenlerinin kullanıldığı çok değişkenli modellerde korsan yazılım kullanımı ile yoksulluk arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı negatif ilişki bulunmuştur. Diğer bir deyişle; tüm modeller de korsan yazılım kullanımının gelişmekte olan ülkeler ve Latin Amerika ülkelerinde yoksulluk üzerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı negatif etkisi bulunmaktadır. Kontrol değişkenleri düşünüldüğünde; sağlık harcamaları ve beşerî sermaye değişkenleri yoksulluk değişkeni üzerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı negatif katsayıya sahipken işsizlik değişkeninin yoksulluk üzerinde pozitif ve istatistiksel olarak anlamlı etkiye sahip olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Keywords

• Yazılım Korsanlığı
• Yoksulluk
• Gelişmekte Olan Ülkeler
• Latin Amerika Ülkeleri
• Panel Çalışma

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