Elisabeth Sadoulet

Elisabeth Sadoulet is a Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley. Her research interests span agricultural technologies, microcredit, conservation, conditional cash transfers, and property rights. Sadoulet has conducted field research in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, India, and China. She has also consulted for several international agencies and foreign governments, including the FAO, the Government of Mexico, and the World Bank.

The role of caste in agricultural technology diffusion
Local social structures, such as the jati-caste system in India, can play an important role in the extent of diffusion of new and beneficial agricultural technologies. This article builds on an existing study of paddy farmers in Odisha and finds that village-level caste homogeneity supports the diffusion of a flood-resistant seed variety, while fragmentation deters it. De Janvry et al. note differences in diffusion rates based on the frequency of flooding, and the caste identity of the initial recipient.
