Can Network Theory-Based Targeting Increase Technology Adoption?

By Lori Beaman, Ariel BenYishay, Jeremy R. Magruder, A. M. Mobarak. The American Economic Review, 2018

426 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Can targeting information to network-central farmers induce more adoption of a new agricultural technology? By combining social network data and a field experiment in 200 villages in Malawi, we find that targeting central farmers is important to spur the diffusion process. We also provide evidence of one explanation for why centrality matters: a diffusion process governed by complex contagion. Our results are consistent with a model in which many farmers need to learn from multiple people before they adopt themselves. This means that without proper targeting of information, the diffusion process can stall and technology adoption remains perpetually low. (JEL O13, O18, O33, Q12, Q16)

Subfields: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Information Systems, Media Technology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/344924f4e12401b42e649d365c4c4ce854786b09

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

1. A. de Janvry
2. E. Sadoulet
3. Christopher B. Barrett
4. M. Qaim
5. K. Deininger

In Information Systems

1. Frank Schilbach
2. A. de Janvry
3. E. Sadoulet

In Media Technology

1. Michael Kremer
2. Frank Schilbach
3. A. de Janvry
4. Raissa Fabregas
5. E. Sadoulet

Citations in the corpus

• Using agriculture for development: Supply- and demand-side approaches (2020, positive): “based on their position in the network (Beaman et al., 2018).”
• Realizing the potential of digital development: The case of agricultural advice (2019, background): “A rich literature documents the flow of agricultural in-formationinruralcommunities( 73 – 75 ).”