Social Interaction and Technology Adoption: Experimental Evidence from Improved Cookstoves in Mali

Jacopo Bonan, Pietro Battiston, Jaimie Bleck, Philippe LeMay-Boucher, Stefano Pareglio, Bassirou Sarr and Massimo Tavoni

No 442, Working Papers from University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics

Abstract: Easy-to-use and risk-free technologies, which require little investment and potentially provide health and environmental benefits, often have low adoption rates. Using a randomized experiment in urban Mali, we assess the impact of a training session in which information on an improved cookstove (ICS) is provided along with the opportunity to purchase the product at the market price. We find direct and spillover effects from our invitation to the session on ICS ownership and usage. We then randomly assign half of the training participants to receive information on a peer's actual purchase. Our results indicate that conditional on receiving information, an individual is more likely to adopt the product if informed about a peer they know and who purchased the product. Our sessions have no discernible impact on product knowledge or household welfare. We argue that social interaction, through imitation, can represent an important channel for increasing take-up and diffusion.

Keywords: Technology Adoption; Social Interaction; Imitation Effects; Cookstoves; Mali (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 M31 O13 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 69
Date: 2020-05, Revised 2020-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-hea, nep-net, nep-pay, nep-soc and nep-ure
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Social interaction and technology adoption: Experimental evidence from improved cookstoves in Mali (2021)
Working Paper: Social Interaction and Technology Adoption: Experimental Evidence from Improved Cookstoves in Mali (2018)
Working Paper: Social Interaction and Technology Adoption: Experimental Evidence from Improved Cookstoves in Mali (2017)
Working Paper: Social Interaction and Technology Adoption: Experimental Evidence from Improved Cookstoves in Mali (2017)
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