Social interaction and technology adoption: Experimental evidence from improved cookstoves in Mali

Easy-to-use and low-risk 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 strong effects from our invitation to the session on ICS ownership and usage while no discernible effects on product knowledge or household welfare. We find that some diffusion occurs beyond the intervention and provide evidence on the role of social interaction, mostly through imitation (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found that a training session providing information on an improved cookstove and the opportunity to purchase it had a significant impact on ownership and usage, but not on product knowledge or household welfare. It also showed evidence of diffusion beyond the intervention, with social interaction, particularly through imitation, playing a key role.