IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/jintdv/v37y2025i6p1255-1266.html

Social and Financial Barriers to Safe (Drinking) Water and Sanitation: The Role of Development Agents in Ethiopia

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Paul Tabe‐Ojong
  • Guyo Godana Dureti

Abstract

The use of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices remains an important development agenda, but their use is currently low in many developing countries owing to several social and financial barriers. In this paper, we investigate the role of development agents (DAs) in stirring the use of safe drinking water and sanitation practices. We examine access to DAs at the extensive and intensive margins and relate this to some WASH practices such as access to piped water, protected springs, open springs, improved latrines, pit latrines and open defecation. We rely on a rich panel dataset from households in Ethiopia and estimate both the Mundlak–Chamberlain device and the household fixed effect estimator. We find a positive association between DAs (both at the extensive and intensive margins) and the use of improved and pit latrines. Relatedly, we also establish a negative association between DAs and open defecation. Furthermore, we obtain a positive relationship between DAs and drinking water from protected springs at the intensive margin and a negative with the use of open springs. Delving into what may be driving these relationships, we find suggestive evidence that income, membership in social and cooperative groups, access to credit—from banks or microfinance institutions as well as enhanced social networks may—well explain these results. Our findings underscore the importance of social and financial factors as possible enablers/barriers of the adoption of WASH practices. Given this, we provide support to the strengthening of extension and advisory systems as they have the potential to increase safe (drinking) water and sanitation practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Paul Tabe‐Ojong & Guyo Godana Dureti, 2025. "Social and Financial Barriers to Safe (Drinking) Water and Sanitation: The Role of Development Agents in Ethiopia," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(6), pages 1255-1266, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:37:y:2025:i:6:p:1255-1266
    DOI: 10.1002/jid.70003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.70003
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/jid.70003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stefan Dercon & Daniel O. Gilligan & John Hoddinott & Tassew Woldehanna, 2009. "The Impact of Agricultural Extension and Roads on Poverty and Consumption Growth in Fifteen Ethiopian Villages," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 91(4), pages 1007-1021.
    2. Mekdim D. Regassa & Gashaw T. Abate & Zaneta Kubik, 2021. "Incentivising and retaining public servants in remote areas: A discrete choice experiment with agricultural extension agents in Ethiopia," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(3), pages 878-900, September.
    3. Yao Pan & Stephen C Smith & Munshi Sulaiman, 2018. "Agricultural Extension and Technology Adoption for Food Security: Evidence from Uganda," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 100(4), pages 1012-1031.
    4. Tabe-Ojong, M. P. Jr. & Salama, Y. & Abay, K. A. & Abdelaziz, F. & Zaccari, C. & Akramkhanov, A. & Menza, G. & Anarbekov, Oyture, 2024. "Harnessing digital innovations for climate action and market access: opportunities and constraints in the CWANA Region," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 1-41:100763.
    5. Michael Kremer & Jessica Leino & Edward Miguel & Alix Peterson Zwane, 2011. "Spring Cleaning: Rural Water Impacts, Valuation, and Property Rights Institutions," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 126(1), pages 145-205.
    6. Annemie Maertens & Hope Michelson & Vesall Nourani, 2021. "How Do Farmers Learn from Extension Services? Evidence from Malawi," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(2), pages 569-595, March.
    7. Pramila Krishnan & Manasa Patnam, 2014. "Neighbors and Extension Agents in Ethiopia: Who Matters More for Technology Adoption?," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 96(1), pages 308-327.
    8. Li, Yuanzhe & Xi, Tianyang & Zhou, Li-An, 2024. "Drinking water facilities and inclusive development: Evidence from Rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    9. Zhang, Jing & Xu, Lixin Colin, 2016. "The long-run effects of treated water on education: The rural drinking water program in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 1-15.
    10. Kazushi Takahashi & Rie Muraoka & Keijiro Otsuka, 2020. "Technology adoption, impact, and extension in developing countries’ agriculture: A review of the recent literature," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 31-45, January.
    11. Gamper-Rabindran, Shanti & Khan, Shakeeb & Timmins, Christopher, 2010. "The impact of piped water provision on infant mortality in Brazil: A quantile panel data approach," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 188-200, July.
    12. Abate, Gashaw T. & Abay, Kibrom A. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Kassim, Yumna & Spielman, David J. & Paul Jr Tabe-Ojong, Martin, 2023. "Digital tools and agricultural market transformation in Africa: Why are they not at scale yet, and what will it take to get there?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    13. Mettetal, Elizabeth, 2019. "Irrigation dams, water and infant mortality: Evidence from South Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 17-40.
    14. Robyn C. Meeks, 2017. "Water Works: The Economic Impact of Water Infrastructure," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 52(4), pages 1119-1153.
    15. Florencia Devoto & Esther Duflo & Pascaline Dupas & William Parienté & Vincent Pons, 2012. "Happiness on Tap: Piped Water Adoption in Urban Morocco," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 4(4), pages 68-99, November.
    16. Yitayew, Asresu & Abdulai, Awudu & Yigezu, Yigezu A. & Deneke, Tilaye T. & Kassie, Girma T., 2021. "Impact of agricultural extension services on the adoption of improved wheat variety in Ethiopia: A cluster randomized controlled trial," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    17. Niklas Buehren & Markus Goldstein & Ezequiel Molina & Julia Vaillant, 2019. "The impact of strengthening agricultural extension services on women farmers: Evidence from Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 50(4), pages 407-419, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Li, Yuanzhe & Xi, Tianyang & Zhou, Li-An, 2024. "Drinking water facilities and inclusive development: Evidence from Rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    2. Ellinor Isgren & Yann Clough & Alice Murage & Elina Andersson, 2023. "Are agricultural extension systems ready to scale up ecological intensification in East Africa? A literature review with particular attention to the Push-Pull Technology (PPT)," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(5), pages 1399-1420, October.
    3. Wan, Guanghua & Wang, Chen & Zhang, Xun & Zuo, Congming, 2024. "Income inequality effect of public utility infrastructure: Evidence from rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    4. Chen, Mingcong & Sun, Qiqi & Tang, Lizhi, 2025. "The impact of tap water on household vulnerability to poverty: Evidence from rural China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    5. Li, Li & Xiao, Yun, 2023. "Beyond boiling: The effect of in utero exposure to treated tap water on childhood health," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    6. Sheila Olmstead & Jiameng Zheng, 2019. "Policy Instruments for Water Pollution Control in Developing Countries," World Bank Publications - Reports 33072, The World Bank Group.
    7. Ram Fishman & Stephen C. Smith & Vida Bobic & Munshi Sulaiman, 2022. "Can Agricultural Extension and Input Support Be Discontinued? Evidence from a Randomized Phaseout in Uganda," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(6), pages 1273-1288, November.
    8. Stephen C. Smith & Ram Fishman & Vida BobicÌ & Munshi Sulaiman, 2017. "How Sustainable Are Benefits from Extension for Smallholder Farmers? Evidence from a Randomised Phase-Out of the BRAC Program in Uganda," Working Papers 2017-1, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    9. Xuhang Shen & Ziqi Wang & Shi Li, 2023. "Access to Piped Water and Off-Farm Work Participation: Evidence from Rural China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-20, February.
    10. Meeks, Robyn, 2018. "Property Rights and Water Access: Evidence from Land Titling in Rural Peru," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 345-357.
    11. Phuong Thu Nguyen & Preety Srivastava & Longfeng Ye & Jonathan Boymal, 2022. "Housing and occupant health: Findings from Vietnam," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 1297-1321, December.
    12. Tsukada, Rachel & Dupuy, Arnaud, 2016. "The impact of household labor-saving technologies along the family life cycle," MERIT Working Papers 2016-047, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    13. Patricia I. Ritter, 2024. "The unintended effect of piped water at home on childhood overweight rate: experimental evidence from urban Morocco," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1089-1126, September.
    14. Pan, Yao & Singhal, Saurabh, 2019. "Agricultural extension, intra-household allocation and malaria," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 157-170.
    15. Small, Sarah F. & van der Meulen Rodgers, Yana, 2023. "The gendered effects of investing in physical and social infrastructure," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    16. Yasuharu Shimamura & Satoshi Shimizutani & Shimpei Taguchi & Hiroyuki Yamada, 2020. "The Impact of Improved Access to Safe Water on Childhood Health, Schooling and Time Allocation in Rural Zambia," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2020-022, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    17. Sundar Ponnusamy, 2022. "Rainfall shocks, child mortality, and water infrastructure," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(7), pages 1317-1338, July.
    18. Nava Ashraf & Edward Glaeser & Abraham Holland & Bryce Millett Steinberg, 2021. "Water, Health and Wealth: The Impact of Piped Water Outages on Disease Prevalence and Financial Transactions in Zambia," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 88(351), pages 755-781, July.
    19. Yuri Barreto & Diogo G.C. Britto & Bladimir Carrillo & Daniel Da Mata & Lucas Emanuel & Breno Sampaio, 2025. "Cisterns for life: climate adaptation policies for water provision and rural lives," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2025-97, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    20. Liu, Yingjie & Tan, Ying & Zhang, Xun, 2024. "The long-term economic impact of water quality: Evidence from rural drinking water program in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:37:y:2025:i:6:p:1255-1266. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/5102/home .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.