Learning from Self and Learning from Others

Can decentralizing demonstration accelerate learning about new technologies This paper randomizes access to a fixed demonstration kit for new flood-saline-resilient seeds across villages in Bangladesh, with demonstration either by a single farmer or spread across many farmers. In the short run, higher learning from self and others under decentralization increases technology adoption. In the long run, the impacts of any demonstration persist, but the additional impacts of decentralization vanish. A Bayesian model of learning the returns to a new technology suggests belief dispersion caused noisy adoption along the learning path, and farmers’ expected gains from demonstration are four times higher under decentralization.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Kondylis, Florence, Loeser, John Ashton, Mobarak, Mushfiq, Jones, Maria Ruth, Stein, Daniel
Format:	Working Paper biblioteca
Language:	English English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2023-08-16
Subjects:	AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION, DEMONSTRATION PLOT, SALINE-RESISTANT SEED, AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, BAYESIAN LEARNING MODEL, TEACHING FARM METHODS,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099859108102328324/IDU01b511bf60206204197098e30c0ea53ab56d1 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/40221
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!