Empowering poor people through public information? Lessons from a movie in rural India

Martin Ravallion, Dominique van de Walle, Puja Dutta () and Rinku Murgai

Journal of Public Economics, 2015, vol. 132, issue C, 13-22

Abstract: Mass public information campaigns have promised to empower poor people, but do they deliver on that promise? We designed and implemented a trial information campaign in poor rural areas of India, in the form of an entertaining movie that teaches people their rights under a large national antipoverty program. In randomly assigned villages, the movie brought significant gains in knowledge and more positive perceptions about the scheme and village life relative to control villages. But objectively measured outcomes showed no gain. The movie changed perceptions but not reality. We conclude that information is not the key constraint in this context.

Keywords: Poverty; Public awareness; Information campaigns; Rights; Groupthink; Employment guarantee; Bihar; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D83 I38 O12 O17 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (37)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:132:y:2015:i:c:p:13-22

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2015.09.010

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