This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Taking a New Look at Empirical Models of Adoption: Average Treatment Effect Estimation of Adoption Rates and their Determinants

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Diagne, Aliou
Abstract

This paper shows that the observed sample adoption rate does not consistently estimate the population adoption rate even if the sample is random. It is proved that instead the sample adoption rate is a consistent estimate of the population joint exposure and adoption rate, which does not inform about adoption per se. Likewise, it is shown that a model of adoption with observed adoption outcome as dependent variable and where exposure to the technology is not observed and controlled for cannot yield consistent estimates of the determinants of adoption. Such model can at best provide consistent estimates of the effects of the included explanatory variables on joint exposure and adoption. Even for that to be possible, the model must be explicitly specified as a model of determinants of joint exposure and adoption and not as a model of determinants of adoption alone. The paper uses the counterfactual outcomes framework to show that the true population adoption rate corresponds to what is defined in the modern treatment effect literature as the average treatment effect (ATE), which measures the effect or impact of a “treatment” on a person randomly selected in the population. In the adoption context, a “treatment” corresponds to exposure to the technology. Another quantity that is also the subject of attention in the treatment effect literature is the average treatment effect on the treated, which measures the effect of treatment in the treated subpopulation and corresponds in the adoption context to the adoption rate among those exposed to the technology. The paper uses the ATE estimation framework to derive consistent nonparametric and parametric estimators of population adoption rates and their determinants and applies the results to consistently estimate the population adoption rates and determinants of the NERICA (New Rice for Africa) rice varieties in Cote d’ivoire.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25623
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by International Association of Agricultural Economists in its series 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia with number 25623.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: 2006
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:ags:iaae06:25623

Contact details of provider:
Email:
Web page: http://www.iaae-agecon.org/
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (AgEcon Search).

Related research
Keywords: Technology Adoption; Rice; NERICA; West Africa; Average Treatment Effect; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; C8; O3; Q12; Q16; Q55;

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Dimara, Efthalia & Skuras, Dimitris, 2003. "Adoption of agricultural innovations as a two-stage partial observability process," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 187-196, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Dalton, Timothy J., 2004. "A household hedonic model of rice traits: economic values from farmers in West Africa," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 31(2-3), pages 149-159, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Sunding, David & Zilberman, David, 2001. "The agricultural innovation process: Research and technology adoption in a changing agricultural sector," Handbook of Agricultural Economics, in: B. L. Gardner & G. C. Rausser (ed.), Handbook of Agricultural Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 4, pages 207-261 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Besley, Timothy & Case, Anne, 1993. "Modeling Technology Adoption in Developing Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(2), pages 396-402, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Richard Blundell & Monica Costa Dias, 2002. "Alternative approaches to evaluation in empirical microeconomics," CeMMAP working papers CWP10/02, Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice, Institute for Fiscal Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Heckman, James J. & Lalonde, Robert J. & Smith, Jeffrey A., 1999. "The economics and econometrics of active labor market programs," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 31, pages 1865-2097 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Feder, Gershon & Just, Richard E & Zilberman, David, 1985. "Adoption of Agricultural Innovations in Developing Countries: A Survey," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 33(2), pages 255-98, January.
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? The yearly budget of IDEAS is exactly $0: it relies entirely on volunteer work.

This page was last updated on 2009-12-26.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.