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Improving Last-Mile Service Delivery Using Phone-Based Monitoring

Author

Listed:
  • Karthik Muralidharan
  • Paul Niehaus
  • Sandip Sukhtankar
  • Jeffrey Weaver

Abstract

Improving "last-mile" public service delivery is a recurring challenge in developing countries. Could the widespread adoption of mobile phones provide a scalable, cost-effective means for improvement? We use a large-scale experiment to evaluate the impact of phone-based monitoring on a program that transferred nearly a billion dollars to 5.7 million Indian farmers. In randomly selected jurisdictions, officials were informed that program implementation would be measured via calls with beneficiaries. This led to a 7.8 percent reduction in the number of farmers who did not receive their transfers. The program was highly cost-effective, costing 3.6 cents for each additional dollar delivered.

Suggested Citation

  • Karthik Muralidharan & Paul Niehaus & Sandip Sukhtankar & Jeffrey Weaver, 2021. "Improving Last-Mile Service Delivery Using Phone-Based Monitoring," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 13(2), pages 52-82, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:52-82
    DOI: 10.1257/app.20190783
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    Cited by:

    1. Berry, James & Mehta, Saurabh & Mukherjee, Priya & Ruebeck, Hannah & Shastry, Gauri Kartini, 2021. "Crowd-out in school-based health interventions: Evidence from India’s midday meals program," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    2. Shuguang Jiang & Marie Claire Villeval, 2022. "Dishonesty in Developing Countries -What Can We Learn From Experiments?," Working Papers hal-03899654, HAL.
    3. Dupas, Pascaline & Jain, Radhika, 2023. "Can beneficiary information improve hospital accountability? Experimental evidence from a public health insurance scheme in India," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    4. Karthik Muralidharan & Paul Niehaus & Sandip Sukhtankar, 2025. "Identity Verification Standards in Welfare Programs: Experimental Evidence from India," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 107(2), pages 372-392, March.
    5. Upasak Das & Amartya Paul & Mohit Sharma, 2021. "Can information campaigns reduce last mile payment delays in public works programme?: Evidence from a field experiment in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-21, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Bottan, Nicolas & Hoffmann, Bridget & Vera-Cossio, Diego A., 2021. "Stepping up during a crisis: The unintended effects of a noncontributory pension program during the Covid-19 pandemic," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    7. Klaus W. Deininger & Daniel Ayalew Ali, 2024. "Using Satellite Imagery and a Farmer Registry to Assess Agricultural Support in Conflict Settings : The Case of the Producer Support Grant Program in Ukraine," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10912, The World Bank.
    8. Klaus W. Deininger & Thea Hilhorst & Zevenbergen,Jaap & Nkurunziza,Emmanuel, 2025. "Capitalizing on Digital Transformation to Enhance the Effectiveness of Property Institutions : Conceptual Background and Evidence from 85 Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11100, The World Bank.
    9. Michael Callen & Miguel Fajardo-Steinhäuser & Michael G. Findley & Tarek Ghani, 2025. "Can Digital Aid Deliver During Humanitarian Crises?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 71(11), pages 9730-9748, November.
    10. Liu, Kevin Zhengcheng & Zhang, Xiaoming, 2025. "Discretion, talent allocation, and governance performance: Evidence from China’s imperial bureaucracy," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    11. Hasanain, Syed Ali & Khan, Muhammad Yasir & Rezaee, Arman, 2023. "No bulls: Experimental evidence on the impact of veterinarian ratings in Pakistan," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    12. Conover, Emily & Kraynak, Daniel & Singh, Prakarsh, 2023. "The effect of traffic cameras on police effort: Evidence from India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    13. Chaudhary, Latika & Iyer, Lakshmi, 2024. "The Importance of Being Local? Administrative Decentralization and Human Development," IZA Discussion Papers 17053, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Meeks, Robyn C. & Omuraliev, Arstan & Isaev, Ruslan & Wang, Zhenxuan, 2023. "Impacts of electricity quality improvements: Experimental evidence on infrastructure investments," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    15. Da Mata, Daniel & Emanuel, Lucas & Pereira, Vitor & Sampaio, Breno, 2023. "Climate adaptation policies and infant health: Evidence from a water policy in Brazil," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    16. Sonna Vikhil & K.S. Kavi Kumar, 2025. "Impact Evaluation of Cash Transfer: Case Study of Agriculture, Telangana," Working Papers 2025-278, Madras School of Economics,Chennai,India.
    17. Debnath, Sisir & Nilayamgode, Mrithyunjayan & Sekhri, Sheetal, 2023. "Information Bypass: Using Low-cost technological innovations to curb leakages in welfare programs," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    18. Gallegos, Sebastian & Roseth, Benjamin & Cuesta, Ana & Sánchez, Mario, 2023. "Increasing the take-up of public health services: An at-scale experiment on digital government," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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