From Chatter to Action: How Social Networks Inform and Motivate in Rural Uganda

Jennifer M. Larson, Janet I. Lewis and Pedro L. Rodriguez

British Journal of Political Science, 2022, vol. 52, issue 4, 1769-1789

Abstract: From public health to political campaigns, numerous attempts to encourage behavior begin with the spread of information. Of course, seeding new information does not guarantee action, especially when it is difficult for receivers to verify this information. We use a novel design that introduced valuable, actionable information in rural Uganda and reveals the intermediate process that led many in the village to hear the information but only some to act on it. We find that the seeded information spread easily through word of mouth via a simple contagion process. However, acting on the information spread less easily; this process relied instead on endogenously created social information that served to vet, verify, and pass judgment. Our results highlight an important wedge between information that a policy intervention can best control and the behavior that ultimately results.

Date: 2022
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