Seeking the treated: The impact of mobile extension on farmer information exchange in India

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Fernando, A. Nilesh
• 署名单位: University of Notre Dame
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102713
• 发表日期: 2021
• 关键词: social interactions; peer effects; information exchange; agriculture

摘要

Do digital agricultural services 'disrupt' in-person peer interactions that generate and spread local knowledge? To investigate, I randomize access to a mobile phone-based agricultural extension service and find that while it reduces reliance on peer agricultural advice, it does not crowd-out peer interactions. Instead, treated farmers are more likely to recommend inputs to their peers, who, in turn, prioritize interacting with them. Consequently, exposure to the treatment, directly or via peers, increases willingness-to-pay for the service. Overall, evidence on complementarities between treated respondents suggest ICT-based services may encourage peer interactions and information exchange at scale.