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  5. Information Systems, Service Delivery, and Corruption: Evidence From the Bangladesh Civil Service

American Economic Journal:
Applied Economics

ISSN 1945-7782 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7790 (Online)

Information Systems, Service Delivery, and Corruption: Evidence From the Bangladesh Civil Service

  • Martin Mattsson
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics (Forthcoming)

Abstract

Slow public service delivery and corruption are common problems in low- and middle-income countries. Can better management information systems improve delivery speed? Does improving the delivery speed reduce corruption? In a large-scale experiment with the Bangladesh Civil Service, I send monthly scorecards measuring delays in service delivery to government officials and their supervisors. The scorecards increase on-time service delivery by 11% but do not reduce bribes. Instead, the scorecards increase bribes for high-performing bureaucrats. A model where bureaucrats’ reputational concerns constrain bribes can explain the results. When positive performance feedback improves bureaucrats’ reputations, the constraint is relaxed, and bribes increase.

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