Abstract
It has been pointed out that new technologies introduced in developing countries have not been accepted by local residents in some cases. It is assumed that new technologies need to be adapted to the local social structure if the aim is to generate sustainable technology acceptance. In this paper, the effect of social network on acceptability of new technologies is examined through a case study on piped water adoption in rural India. Social Network Analysis is used to investigate how closed social network groups and the centrality of some individuals in social network affect technology acceptance of residents. The effect of these attributes on technology acceptance is examined using logistic regression model. Our results show 3 main findings as follows: (1) there are no similarities of piped water use among residents belong to the same closed social network group, (2) central persons who affect other residents’ technology use do not have high social status and play any role as a leader, thus, it is needed not to easily select persons who seem to be outstanding as key persons of technology adoption, (3) it is important to focus on not only individual attributes but also social network when new technologies are adapted.
Highlights
New technologies have been introduced in developing countries through international development assistance as an effective measure to meet their needs of building social infrastructure
We focus on piped water adoption in rural India as an example of introduction of new technologies
This paper explored the potential effect of social network on acceptability of new technologies in developing countries with the case of piped water adoption in rural India
Summary
New technologies have been introduced in developing countries through international development assistance as an effective measure to meet their needs of building social infrastructure. It has been discussed that if the aim is to support the sustainable use of new technologies, it is important to focus on quality of a technology itself and the social and cultural backgrounds of the recipient society (Cernea, 1991; Edwars, 2006). 1.1 Piped Water Adoption in Rural India. We focus on piped water adoption in rural India as an example of introduction of new technologies. As piped water is considerd easy-to-use technology, its non-acceptance by local people is assumed that the technology was not adapted to local social backgrounds. Under the NRDWP, the central government is in charge of planning and technical support while local governments are responsible for program implementation through “Piped Water Supply Schemes” (PWSS), which aims to introduce piped water in rural area. According to Sewak, Chowdhury & Ghosh (2017), 55% of rural population in India have access to piped water as of 2016
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