Emergent Behaviour and the Adoption of Community-Based Water Purification Technology in Rural India

The adoption of community-based water purification technologies in India is often influenced by external disruptions, such as political transitions, large-scale national water initiatives and public health crises. While traditional technology adoption frameworks assume a structured pathway for behavior change, this study highlights the role of emergent factors in shaping both psychological determinants and adoption patterns. Using data from 54 communities and applying logistic and linear regression models, our analysis shows that major external disruptions, like political shifts and large-scale nationwide initiatives play a significant role in shaping adoption decisions. Furthermore, linear regression analysis shows that these emergent factors also impact key psychological determinants, which mediate the decision-making process: perceived risk, trust and social norms. These results suggest that external disturbances not only alter adoption but also change the behavioral paths through which it happens. We propose an Enhanced ToC framework that incorporates determinants of emergent behavior as contextual factors that dynamically shape both individual decision-making and more general adoption patterns. Our results suggest that interventions aimed at improving safe water access should remain responsive to emergent contextual factors, as community responses evolve dynamically in response to political, environmental, and programmatic changes.