Ethnic Diversity Creates Surprising Barrier to Information Flow in Uganda Villages

Does ethnic diversity hinder, not just facilitate, information flow? This study uses a novel field experiment in matched Ugandan villages.

We find that while ethnically homogeneous areas have wider information spread as expected (Information Dissemination Expected in Homogeneous Areas), our detailed network data reveals something unexpected: Dense networks actually hamper transmission in diverse settings.

Specifically, we show how even slight hesitation to share info with outsiders (Impact of Intergroup Reluctance on Network Dynamics) creates a significant disadvantage despite denser connections overall.

This finding has important implications for understanding collective action challenges (Understanding Collective Action Challenges via Information Flow) and the social costs of ethnic heterogeneity (Social Costs of Ethnic Heterogeneity in Rural Uganda).