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Peer effects in the valuation and practices of food safety: findings from the study of dairy consumers in India

Peer effects in the valuation and practices of food safety: findings from the study of dairy... Information is often available to consumers through their social networks. Focusing on dairy consumers in India, this paper aims to present evidence of peer effects in consumers’ attitudes towards various food safety attributes and food safety practices.Design/methodology/approachUnobserved individual heterogeneities are crucial confounders in the identification of social (endogenous) effects. The identification is based on exploiting within-consumer variation across different aspects of attitude (or practices) related to food safety.FindingsThis paper uses a novel identification strategy that allows for average effects across attributes and practices to be estimated. Using the strategy, though this paper cannot estimate endogenous effects in each attribute or practice, this paper is able to identify such effects averaged over attributes or practices.Research limitations/implicationsCross-sectional study, caste affiliation is not defined at the right level of granularity.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that information campaigns aimed at creating awareness about food safety can have social multiplier effects, and this also translates into changes in the practices followed to mitigate food safety risks.Social implicationsIn health-related awareness and practices, there are well-established cases of multiplier effects. The most significant example of this is the Pulse Polio campaign in India, where an awareness drives through social multiplier effects had such a significant impact that in 2012 India was declared polio-free. Perhaps, a similar campaign in matters related to food safety could be very fruitful.Originality/valueThe methodology and the issue are unique. Little exists in assessing social networks in the context of food safety. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Indian Growth and Development Review Emerald Publishing

Peer effects in the valuation and practices of food safety: findings from the study of dairy consumers in India

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References (25)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
1753-8254
DOI
10.1108/igdr-06-2019-0059
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Information is often available to consumers through their social networks. Focusing on dairy consumers in India, this paper aims to present evidence of peer effects in consumers’ attitudes towards various food safety attributes and food safety practices.Design/methodology/approachUnobserved individual heterogeneities are crucial confounders in the identification of social (endogenous) effects. The identification is based on exploiting within-consumer variation across different aspects of attitude (or practices) related to food safety.FindingsThis paper uses a novel identification strategy that allows for average effects across attributes and practices to be estimated. Using the strategy, though this paper cannot estimate endogenous effects in each attribute or practice, this paper is able to identify such effects averaged over attributes or practices.Research limitations/implicationsCross-sectional study, caste affiliation is not defined at the right level of granularity.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that information campaigns aimed at creating awareness about food safety can have social multiplier effects, and this also translates into changes in the practices followed to mitigate food safety risks.Social implicationsIn health-related awareness and practices, there are well-established cases of multiplier effects. The most significant example of this is the Pulse Polio campaign in India, where an awareness drives through social multiplier effects had such a significant impact that in 2012 India was declared polio-free. Perhaps, a similar campaign in matters related to food safety could be very fruitful.Originality/valueThe methodology and the issue are unique. Little exists in assessing social networks in the context of food safety.

Journal

Indian Growth and Development Review – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jun 15, 2021

Keywords: Unobserved heterogeneity; Food safety

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