Peer Saturation and Information Diffusion
Isolated administrative training interventions often fail to achieve village-wide program uptake because low participant density prevents knowledge from spreading organically through local social networks.
Picture this
Imagine lighting a few scattered candles in a massive dark hall versus lighting clusters of candles across every row. When a critical mass of neighbors receives the same information, news and skills spread rapidly through word-of-mouth chatter across the entire village.
What the evidence says
Evaluates whether achieving a 75% training saturation threshold in local administrative units increases social spillover effects and program uptake compared to a 25% threshold.
- Who
- 6,000 surveyed households across 300 Gram Panchayats in 30 blocks of Madhya Pradesh, India.
- How
- Clustered RCT varying female training saturation density at 25% versus 75% coverage per Gram Panchayat.
What to do
Randomize and test program saturation levels across local administrative units to measure critical mass thresholds for peer-to-peer information diffusion.
From the source
"...and whether 25 or 75 percent of women in each gram panchayat are offered training."
The_Impact_of_Womens_Employment_and_Control_over_Income_on_Family.pdf