Improving Last-Mile Service Delivery Using Phone-Based Monitoring
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 13,
no. 2, April 2021
(pp. 52-82)
Abstract
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.Citation
Muralidharan, Karthik, Paul Niehaus, Sandip Sukhtankar, and Jeffrey Weaver. 2021. "Improving Last-Mile Service Delivery Using Phone-Based Monitoring." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 13 (2): 52-82. DOI: 10.1257/app.20190783Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- O13 Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
- O33 Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
- Q12 Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
- Q18 Agricultural Policy; Food Policy
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