Improving Last-Mile Service Delivery Using Phone-Based Monitoring

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Muralidharan, Karthik; Niehaus, Paul; Sukhtankar, Sandip; Weaver, Jeffrey
• 署名单位: National Bureau of Economic Research; University of California System; University of California San Diego; University of Virginia; University of Southern California
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.20190783
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 52-82
• 关键词: management-practices; CORRUPTION; teachers; incentives; governance; impacts; FIRMS; cost

摘要

Improving last-mile public service delivery is a recurring challenge in developing countries. Could the widespread adoption of mobile phones provide a scalable, cost-effective means for improvement? We use a large-scale experiment to evaluate the impact of phone-based monitoring on a program that transferred nearly a billion dollars to 5.7 million Indian farmers. In randomly selected jurisdictions, officials were informed that program implementation would be measured via calls with beneficiaries. This led to a 7.8 percent reduction in the number of farmers who did not receive their transfers. The program was highly cost-effective, costing 3.6 cents for each additional dollar delivered.