Abstract:-
Neighborhood characteristics can influence collective progressive behavior such as improved sanitation practices. This paper studies the relationship between ‘jati’ (sub-castes)-level fractionalization within community and toilet ownership and its usage, using primary data from Bihar. The findings indicate jati-fractionalization improves toilet ownership and usage significantly. While exploring the channels, we find social expectations play an important role, where individuals from diverse communities tend to believe that there is a higher prevalence of toilet usage within the community. To assess the reasons for the existence of these social expectations, we use data from an egocentric network survey. The findings reveal that in fractionalized communities, the neighbors with whom our respondents interacted are more likely to be from different jatis. They are also more likely to use toilets and approve of its usage due to health reasons. Discussions about toilets are more common among neighbors from fractionalized communities, which underscore the discernible role of social learning.