Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
社交网络对印度农民智能手机采纳的影响：来自印度的证据
Impact of Social Networks on Farmers' Adoption of Smartphones: Evidence From India
摘要
Empirical research on agricultural technology adoption has largely focused on farmer and farm level attributes, giving limited attention to the social context in which adoption decisions are embedded. This study addresses this gap by examining how village‐level social networks shape smartphone adoption among farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India. Using primary survey data and network measures constructed from farmers' reported connections, we characterize each farmer's position via average network effect (ANE) and degree centrality (DC). We estimate adoption using an instrumental variable (IV) probit model to address the endogeneity of peer adoption. Contrary to findings from studies of other agricultural technologies, higher smartphone adoption among a farmer's network connections reduces farmer's own likelihood of adoption, consistent with information spillovers that reduce the private need to adopt when peers already have. Farmers who are more central within their network, however, are significantly more likely to adopt, reflecting the greater communication demands placed on well‐connected individuals. Age, social status (caste group), household size, and land ownership are also significant correlates of adoption. The findings suggest that agricultural extension programs can improve cost‐effectiveness by targeting centrally positioned farmers as information‐diffusion nodes. At the same time, network spillovers may slow adoption of technologies that primarily serve as information‐access tools, rather than speed it up.
中文摘要
农业技术采用的实证研究主要聚焦于农户及农场层面的特征，而对采用决策所嵌入的社会背景关注有限。本研究通过考察印度安得拉邦村级社会网络如何影响农民智能手机的采用，填补了这一空白。利用一手调查数据及基于农民报告联系构建的网络度量指标，我们通过平均网络效应（ANE）和度中心性（DC）刻画每位农民的位置。为应对同伴采用的内生性问题，我们采用工具变量（IV）probit模型估计采用行为。与其他农业技术研究结果相反，农民网络联系中智能手机采用率越高，反而降低其自身采用的可能性，这与信息溢出效应一致，即当同伴已采用时，个体私下采用的需求减少。然而，网络中处于更中心位置的农民采用可能性显著更高，这反映了联系广泛个体所承担的更大沟通需求。年龄、社会地位（种姓群体）、家庭规模和土地所有权也是采用的重要相关因素。研究结果表明，农业推广项目可通过瞄准中心位置的农民作为信息传播节点来提高成本效益。同时，网络溢出可能减缓而非加速主要作为信息获取工具的技术的采用。