Sooner rather than later: Social networks and technology adoption

Using data from a randomised experiment in Kenya, we estimate the causal effect of social networks on technology adoption. In this experiment, farmers were invited to information sessions about the use of Tissue Culture Banana (TCB), an in vitro banana cultivation technology. We find that an additional social connection with a treated farmer is associated with an untreated farmer being 2.25 pp more likely to adopt TCB 6-18 months post-intervention, but not in the longer term. Evidence from a qualitative survey points out that the adoption of TCB by those social connections is the main channel driving the effect, suggesting that treated connections are significant because treated farmers are more likely to adopt. We also find that indirect social network effects, proxied for by eigenvector centrality, influence adoption at both the village level and the farmer level.(c) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

Using data from a randomised experiment in Kenya, the causal effect of social networks on technology adoption was estimated. The study found that having an additional social connection with a treated farmer increased the likelihood of an untreated farmer adopting the technology within 6-18 months after intervention, but not in the longer term. The adoption of the technology by treated connections was identified as the main driving factor of this effect. Additionally, the study observed indirect social network effects influencing adoption at both the village level and the farmer level.