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Development Issues on Bangladesh

Paper Session

Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021 12:15 PM - 2:15 PM (EST)

Hosted By: Association for Economic and Development Studies on Bangladesh
  • Chair: Khawaja Saeed A. Mamun, Sacred Heart University

Service Delivery, Corruption and Information Flows in Government Bureaucracies: Experimental Evidence from the Bangladesh Civil Service

Martin Mattsson
,
Yale University

Abstract

Corruption and slow service delivery are common problems for government bureaucracies in low- and middle-income countries. Can improved information about individual civil servants' performance create accountability that increases service delivery speed? Does faster service delivery reduce bribes? To answer these questions, I conduct a large-scale experiment over 17 months within the elite cadre of civil servants in Bangladesh. Monthly scorecards measuring delays in service delivery are sent to randomly selected government bureaucrats and their supervisors. The scorecards increase services delivered without delay by 10% and decrease processing time by 12%. This shows that improved information flows can increase bureaucratic performance even without explicit incentive structures. However, the scorecards increased bribes for bureaucrats who had a good performance at baseline. These results are evidence against theories suggesting that delays in service delivery cause higher bribes. The results are instead consistent with a model where long-term career concerns constrain corruption. When bureaucrats receive a positive shock to their career prospects, this constraint is relaxed and bribes increase.

Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Dietary Diversity among Adolescents in Bangladesh

Sarah Baird
,
George Washington University
Jennifer Muz
,
George Washington University

Abstract

Early evidence indicates that market closures, disruptions to global trade, and rising prices for nonperishable food items as a result of COVID-19 has drastically increased the experience of food insecurity among poor households across Bangladesh since the start of the restrictions on March 17, 2020. The impact of COVID-19 on access to food is exacerbated further in rural areas, where many households rely on sale of agricultural products for income. A recent study by BRAC Bangladesh estimates that the experience of extreme poverty has increased by 60 percent across the country. This study utilizes quantitative data on over 2,000 in-school adolescents living in Chittagong and Sylhet from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) program to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on household food insecurity and dietary diversity among adolescents. Data for this study was collected in-person during February and March of 2020 on students attending grades 7 and 8 just before COVID-19 restrictions were implemented and by phone during May and June 2020. In addition to information on food insecurity and dietary diversity, household access to food essentials in local markets and impacts on household income are explored.

Haste Makes No Waste: Positive Peer Effects of Speed Competition on Classroom Learning

Hikaru Kawarazaki
,
University College London
Minhaj Mahmud
,
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies
Yasuyuki Sawada
,
University of Tokyo and Asian Development Bank
Mai Seki
,
Ritsumeikan University

Abstract

Speed competition is common not only in sports but also in classrooms determining a student’s success. This study investigates the peer effects of problem-solving speed on the learning outcomes of young pupils. We employ data on students' daily progress records in a self-learning program at BRAC primary schools in Bangladesh. The unique setting of the program allows us to address the reflection problem. Our results show overall positive peer effects on problem-solving times and scores, especially among peers with similar abilities, without negatively affecting the others. These results suggest that relational competition or rivalry fosters students’ motivation for higher performance.

General Equilibrium Effects of Cash Transfers: Experimental Evidence from Kenya

Edward Miguel
,
University of California-Berkeley
Dennis Egger
,
University of California-Berkeley
Johannes Haushofer
,
Princeton University
Paul Niehaus
,
University of California-San Diego
Michael Walker
,
University of California-Berkeley

Abstract

How large economic stimuli generate individual and aggregate responses is a central question in economics, but has not been studied experimentally. We provided one-time cash transfers of about USD 1000 to over 10,500 poor households across 653 randomized villages in rural Kenya. The implied fiscal shock was over 15 percent of local GDP. We find large impacts on consumption and assets for recipients. Importantly, we document large positive spillovers on non-recipient households and firms, and minimal price inflation. We estimate a local fiscal multiplier of 2.7. We interpret welfare implications through the lens of a simple household optimization framework.
Discussant(s)
Abu Shonchoy
,
Florida International University
Reshma Hussam
,
Harvard Business School
Rossella Calvi
,
Rice University
Anik Ashraf
,
Loyola Marymount University
JEL Classifications
  • O0 - General
  • H0 - General