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Paper short abstract:

This study provides a macro overview of how digitalization is driving structural changes in Sub-Sahara Africa and concurrently driving the demand for specific public interventions. It draws from multiple data sets to show how digitalization shapes not only the economic landscape but also politics.

Paper long abstract:

In the contemporary discourse on politics in Africa, the digitalization phenomenon emerges as a double-edged sword, with the potential to either erode or invigorate democratic institutions and practices. This study contributes to the discourse on the digital revolution in Africa and its implications for the future of work and politics, providing empirical evidence on how technological change is reshaping not only the economic landscape in Africa but also political preferences. It examines the relationship between rapid digitalization and political preferences in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 1995 to 2022, considering the implications for public demand for a set of social programs. By applying a longitudinal approach, I harness macro-level data from multiple sources, including the IDEA International, International Labor Organisation (ILO), the World Bank, and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), as well as micro-level data from Afrobarometer surveys. Using Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and multilevel modelling, this study preliminarily reveals how various digital technologies have uneven impacts across economic sectors over time, and how they concurrently drive individuals towards specific political preferences. The findings have broader implications for SSA including the urgency for policymakers to reimagine governance strategies that embrace digitalization while addressing public needs.