Subsidies for technology adoption: experimental evidence from rural Cameroon
We use a two-stage experiment to study how a short-term subsidy for a new product affects uptake, usage, and future demand for the same product (a new solar lamp). We use an auction design to gauge willingness-to-pay, and randomly vary the strike price across villages to create random variation in p...
| Κύριοι συγγραφείς: | , , |
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| Μορφή: | Journal article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Έκδοση: |
Elsevier
2021
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| _version_ | 1826312175916941312 |
|---|---|
| author | Meriggi, NF Bulte, E Mobarak, AM |
| author_facet | Meriggi, NF Bulte, E Mobarak, AM |
| author_sort | Meriggi, NF |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | We use a two-stage experiment to study how a short-term subsidy for a new product affects uptake, usage, and future demand for the same product (a new solar lamp). We use an auction design to gauge willingness-to-pay, and randomly vary the strike price across villages to create random variation in purchase prices and uptake across villages. Our main results are that subsidies do not adversely affect subsequent product use, but stimulate uptake. If subsidies depress future willingness-to-pay, then this effect is outweighed by additional learning about the benefits of the new product. The net effect is that short-term subsidies increase future willingness-to-pay. However; prices play an important allocative role, and lowering prices via subsidies encourages uptake by households with low use intensity. We do not find any evidence supporting social learning and anchoring beyond the initial sample of beneficiaries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:23:36Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:b4542e6d-c29c-48b2-93a8-9780b4b6d9b8 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:23:36Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:b4542e6d-c29c-48b2-93a8-9780b4b6d9b82024-02-06T15:55:45ZSubsidies for technology adoption: experimental evidence from rural CameroonJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:b4542e6d-c29c-48b2-93a8-9780b4b6d9b8EnglishSymplectic ElementsElsevier2021Meriggi, NFBulte, EMobarak, AMWe use a two-stage experiment to study how a short-term subsidy for a new product affects uptake, usage, and future demand for the same product (a new solar lamp). We use an auction design to gauge willingness-to-pay, and randomly vary the strike price across villages to create random variation in purchase prices and uptake across villages. Our main results are that subsidies do not adversely affect subsequent product use, but stimulate uptake. If subsidies depress future willingness-to-pay, then this effect is outweighed by additional learning about the benefits of the new product. The net effect is that short-term subsidies increase future willingness-to-pay. However; prices play an important allocative role, and lowering prices via subsidies encourages uptake by households with low use intensity. We do not find any evidence supporting social learning and anchoring beyond the initial sample of beneficiaries. |
| spellingShingle | Meriggi, NF Bulte, E Mobarak, AM Subsidies for technology adoption: experimental evidence from rural Cameroon |
| title | Subsidies for technology adoption: experimental evidence from rural Cameroon |
| title_full | Subsidies for technology adoption: experimental evidence from rural Cameroon |
| title_fullStr | Subsidies for technology adoption: experimental evidence from rural Cameroon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Subsidies for technology adoption: experimental evidence from rural Cameroon |
| title_short | Subsidies for technology adoption: experimental evidence from rural Cameroon |
| title_sort | subsidies for technology adoption experimental evidence from rural cameroon |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT merigginf subsidiesfortechnologyadoptionexperimentalevidencefromruralcameroon AT bultee subsidiesfortechnologyadoptionexperimentalevidencefromruralcameroon AT mobarakam subsidiesfortechnologyadoptionexperimentalevidencefromruralcameroon |