Local spillovers and learning from neighbors: Evidence from durable adoptions in rural China
Abstract
Using the 1999 durable consumption survey data in rural China, we examine the importance of local spillovers in the diffusion of three major durable goods, i.e., color television set, washing machine, and refrigerator. We find that, with control for many family characteristics, a household is more likely to buy its first durable good in villages where a large share of households already own one. Further evidence suggests that theses patterns are unlikely to be explained by unobserved local characteristics. When examined in more detail, the extent of local spillovers appears to be negatively related to a household’s knowledge about the product, and positively related to its education level. Both are consistent with the hypothesis that learning from neighbors plays an important role of these spillovers.Download Info
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Paper provided by University Library of Munich, Germany in its series MPRA Paper with number 33924.Length:
Date of creation: 25 Sep 2011
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Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:33924
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Keywords: Local spillovers; Social learning; Durable adoptions;Find related papers by JEL classification:
- D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
- L68 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Appliances; Other Consumer Durables
- O33 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change; Research and Development; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ALL-2011-10-15 (All new papers)
- NEP-DEV-2011-10-15 (Development)
- NEP-TRA-2011-10-15 (Transition Economics)
- NEP-URE-2011-10-15 (Urban & Real Estate Economics)
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