| This dissertation shows that telecommunications plays an important part in the development of a country's economy. Dealing strictly with the Third World or developing nations, inferences were made at the national level as to how improved communications should be a requirement for all countries. As the technology improves, greater achievements will be forthcoming, especially if the social issues of education, social services, health care, and income distribution are addressed.; Several social issues need special attention if the Third World is to become a major player in the world economy. Starting with the large population base, methods to control the birth rate are essential. A review on how increased education and social services help reduce the birth rate were covered. The present education system is extremely lacking to the point where new technology may not be utilized to its fullest advantage due to lack of a skilled labor force. The education of the female population is below the male counterpart, reducing the opportunities within the work place and the advancement of the economy.; Lead and lag studies were done to appraise the state of the business cycle through the peaks or valleys of economic activity. Leading indicators measure anticipation of economic climate whereas lagging indicators are sluggish to reactions and used to confirm changes. Coincident indicators show economic performance and the strength of a country's output. These indicators were done for savings, investment, energy, telecommunications, and civil aviation.; This research demonstrated that economic sectors move in harmony, requiring a statistical method to compensate for multicollinearity. Ridge regression was employed. The ridge regression method employed adds bias only to the specific trace elements showing collinearity. This methodology differs from the normal SAS technique in that balanced design estimators are determined, giving superior regression results.; In addition to telecommunications being highly correlated to GDP it was found that airline passengers carried was highly correlated to telecommunications. This means the need to communicate can invoke several alternatives to achieve the goal. To better optimize airline travel, consideration should be given to designing airline trunk networks along the communications lines. Economic Development within the Third World must invest accordingly for optimizing results. |
