Mass media and social change: can we use television to fight poverty?

This paper explores the potential use of entertainment media programs for achieving development goals. I propose a simple framework for interpreting media effects that hinges on three channels (i) information provision, (ii) role modeling and preference change, and (iii) time use. I then review the existing evidence on how exposure to commercial television and radio affects outcomes such as fertility preferences, gender norms, education, migration and social capital. I complement these individual country studies with cross-country evidence from Africa and with a more in-depth analysis for Nigeria, using the Demographic Health Surveys. I then consider the potential educational role of entertainment media, starting with a discussion of the psychological basis for impact in relation to the social learning theory of Bandura (1976) and the notion of self-efficacy. While these elements have been incorporated in educational entertainment (or edutainment) productions since the 1970s, it is only in the past ten years that economists and social scientists have applied rigorous impact evaluation techniques to estimate their effects. I review the existing evidence and highlight open questions and avenues for future research.