An enduring puzzle regarding technology adoption in developing countries is that new technologies often diffuse slowly through the social network. Two of the key predictions of the canonical epidemiological model of technology diffusion are that forums to share information and higher returns to technology should both spur social transmission. We design a large-scale experiment to test these predictions among farmers in Western Kenya, and we fail to find support for either. However, in the same context, we introduce a technology that diffuses very fast: a simple kitchen spoon (painted in blue) to measure out how much fertilizer to use. We develop a model that explains both the failure of the standard approaches and the surprising success of this new technology. The core idea of the model is that not all information is reliable, and farmers are reluctant to develop a reputation of passing along false information. The model and data suggest that there is value in developing simple, transparent technologies to facilitate communication.

Working Paper·Jan 30, 2024

Digital Information Provision and Behavior Change: Lessons from Six Experiments in East Africa

Topics: Development Economics, Technology & Innovation
Working Paper·Jan 17, 2023

Water Treatment and Child Mortality: A Meta-analysis and Cost-effectiveness Analysis

Michael Kremer, Stephen Luby, Ricardo Maertens, Brandon Tan, Witold Więcek
Topics: Development Economics
Working Paper·Sep 17, 2022

Can Education be Standardized? Evidence from Kenya

Guthrie Gray-Lobe, Anthony Keats, Michael Kremer, Isaac Mbiti, Owen Ozier
Topics: Development Economics