Essays on public service delivery in India

Heidelberg: Universität Heidelberg (Dissertation)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00032457
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The dissertation consists of three essays which evaluate the effects of two Indian government interventions that aim to hone public service delivery. These interventions encompass, firstly, a maternity benefit program which aims to improve maternal and child health and avoid unintended fertility increases, and secondly, a community monitoring tool called external social audits which aims to improve service delivery by reducing corruption and mismanagement within a public work program. The dissertation shows that while these interventions managed to improve intermediary outcomes and eliminated some unintended effects, they had no or only small beneficial effects on the overarching development goals in health and employment.