Paying Attention to Technology Innovations : Experimental Evidence from Renewable Energy Markets in Africa
This paper presents results from a randomized field experiment that examined the effects of mass media campaigns informing about a new technology on the adoption decisions of households in rural Senegal. While some communities were exposed to a cam...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/775391595416030626/Paying-Attention-to-Technology-Innovations-Experimental-Evidence-from-Renewable-Energy-Markets-in-Africa http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34339 |
| Summary: | This paper presents results from a
randomized field experiment that examined the effects of
mass media campaigns informing about a new technology on the
adoption decisions of households in rural Senegal. While
some communities were exposed to a campaign broadcasted on
national radio that informed households about the general
benefits and quality of solar lamps, other communities were
exposed to the same radio campaign complemented with
information that singled out the most suitable lamp type for
all main technological applications. The authors exploit the
difference between the two campaigns to examine the extent
to which certain information characteristics matter for the
uptake of the technological innovation. Results from our
experiment show that information on optimal lamp types was
required to increase adoption of solar lamps on the
extensive margin (more people investing in lamps). However,
the type-unspecific information increased adoption on the
intensive margin (existing users investing in more lamps).
These findings can be explained by a simple learning model
of selective attention that the authors adjusted to the
study setting, where households engage in home production
and spend time as well as mental energy to learn about
technological features that maximize returns. |
|---|