Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

HoSS Working Paper Series,
Stockholm School of Economics, House of Sustainable Society (HoSS)

No 2026-3: Experiential and Social Learning

Agha Ali Akram (), Gabriella Fleischman (), Reshmaan Hussam () and Akib Khan ()
Additional contact information
Agha Ali Akram: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Gabriella Fleischman: University of Pittsburgh
Reshmaan Hussam: Harvard Business School
Akib Khan: House of Sustainable Society (HoSS), Postal: Stockholm School of Economics, P.O. Box 6501, SE-113 83 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract: How does a person’s own learning experience affect their ability to learn from others? We conduct a field experiment on chlorination in Pakistan, where randomized “learning-arm” households use a tool to track their children’s diarrhea before and after chlorine distribution. Learning-arm households with learning-arm neighbors chlorinate significantly more one year after the withdrawal of the tool, with children’s health improving by 0.08 SD relative to all other households receiving chlorine. Neither learning households without learning-arm neighbors, nor non-learning households with learning-arm neighbors, exhibit sustained behavior change, results which have significant implications for intervention and evaluation design.

Keywords: Social learning; experiential learning; health behavior; chlorination; water treatment; field experiment; Pakistan; child health

JEL-codes: D83; I12; O12

Language: English

98 pages, June 25, 2026

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