Skill Versus Voice in Local Development

Katherine Casey, Rachel Glennerster, Edward Miguel and Maarten Voors
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Katherine Casey: Stanford University and NBER
Rachel Glennerster: University of Chicago and NBER
Maarten Voors: Wageningen University

The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2023, vol. 105, issue 2, 311-326

Abstract: Where the state is weak, traditional authorities control the local provision of public goods. These leaders come from an older, less educated generation and often rule in an authoritarian and exclusionary fashion. This means the skills of community members may not be leveraged in policymaking. We experimentally evaluate two solutions to this problem in Sierra Leone: one encourages delegation to higher-skill individuals, and a second fosters broader inclusion in decision making. In a real-world infrastructure grants competition, a public nudge to delegate led to better outcomes than the default of chiefly control, whereas attempts to boost participation were largely ineffective.

Date: 2023
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Related works:
Working Paper: Skill Versus Voice in Local Development (2023)
Working Paper: Skill versus Voice in Local Development (2021)
Working Paper: Skill versus Voice in Local Development (2019)
Working Paper: Skill Versus Voice in Local Development (2018)
Working Paper: Skill versus Voice in Local Development (2018)
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