Bureaucratic performance is a crucial determinant of economic growth, but little
real-world evidence exists on how to improve it, especially in resource-constrained
settings. We conducted a field experiment of a social recognition intervention to
improve record keeping in health facilities in two Nigerian states, replicating ...
Bureaucratic performance is a crucial determinant of economic growth, but little
real-world evidence exists on how to improve it, especially in resource-constrained
settings. We conducted a field experiment of a social recognition intervention to
improve record keeping in health facilities in two Nigerian states, replicating the
intervention – implemented by a single organization – on bureaucrats performing
identical tasks. Social recognition improved performance in one state but had no
effect in the other, highlighting both the potential benefits and also the sometimeslimited generalizability of behavioral interventions. Furthermore, differences in
facility-level observables did not explain cross-state differences in impacts,
suggesting that it may often be difficult to predict external validity.
