Three essays in development economics[Trois essais en économie du développement]

As of 2020, 2 billion people lacked access to safely managed water services, 122 million of whom relied on surface sources (e.g., rivers, lakes) for drinking water. The consequences on global health are dire, as two million preventable deaths occur worldwide every year due to inadequate Water, Sanitation and Health (WASH) conditions. Disproportionate risks are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, which concentrates 53% of worldwide WASH-related deaths, compared with only 15% of the world's population.This dissertation addresses two main questions related to low access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), using Tanzania as a case study and drawing on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). First, it aims to understand why individuals may not automatically shift their behavior to adopt WASH infrastructure when it becomes available. Second, it aims to understand why WASH infrastructure (e.g. wells, handpumps) in Sub-Saharan Africa experiences high levels of disrepair. The first question is addressed through chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 trials two sets of contents interventions to improve individuals' ability to detect falsehoods about COVID-19, a disease linked with WASH through the need for handwashing. Chapter 2 evaluates the impact of three campaign strategies on stimulating uptake in WASH behavior. The second question is addressed through chapter 3, which trials a governance intervention in Tanzania aiming to strengthen coproduction between the two parties jointly responsible for maintaining the country's communal water points: district governments, and village water community organizations.