Who's the Boss? Intrahousehold Valuation, Preference Heterogeneity, and Demand for an Agricultural Technology in India

• Development Workshop

Date and Location

Monday, October 31, 2016, 4:10 PM - 5:30 PM
ARE Library Conference Room, 4101 Social Sciences and Humanities

Abstract

Both women and men in a household have a potential role in adoption of labor-saving technologies, particularly when the decision influences their labor allocation. Mechanical rice transplanting (MRT) is a technology that reduces labor in transplanting, which is a task primarily reserved for women. I examine the influence of intrahousehold heterogeneity in demand for MRTs on the household’s technology adoption decision. I elicit stated willingness to pay for MRTs from women and men belonging to same households, and measure the household's willingness to pay for the technology by using a village-level experimental auction. Women value MRTs more than men, and this difference is not driven by their individual characteristics. However, household demand is a reflection of men's valuation and women’s bargaining power does not influence the adoption decision.