How Important is the Yellow Pages? Experimental Evidence from Tanzania

Joshua Blumenstock, Brian Dillon () and Jenny Aker

No 14489, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Mobile phones reduce the cost of communicating with existing social contacts, but do not eliminate frictions in forming new relationships. We report the findings of a two-sided randomized control trial in central Tanzania, centered on the production and distribution of a "Yellow Pages" phone directory with contact information for local enterprises. Enterprises randomly assigned to be listed in the directory receive more business calls, make greater use of mobile money, and are more likely to employ workers. There is evidence of positive spillovers, as both listed and unlisted enterprises in treatment villages experience significant increases in sales relative to a pure control group. Households randomly assigned to receive copies of the directory make greater use their phones for farming, are more likely to rent land and hire labor, have lower rates of crop failure, and sell crops for weakly higher prices. Willingness-to-pay to be listed in future directories is significantly higher for treated enterprises.

Keywords: Mobile phones; Search costs; Telephone directories; Small and medium enterprises; agriculture; Tanzania (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D83 M37 O13 Q13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-mfd and nep-pay
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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