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Command and Can’t Control : Assessing Centralized Accountability in the Public Sector

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  • Gulzar, Saad
  • Ladino, Juan Felipe
  • Mehmood, Muhammad Zia
  • Rogger, Daniel

Abstract

A long-established and widely used approach to management in government has been the transmission of information up a hierarchy, and centralized decision-making and oversight; colloquially known as ‘command and control’. This paper examines accountability in such a system implemented at scale in Punjab, Pakistan. Using random variation in the intensity of accountability of the scheme, the paper shows that the corresponding de facto punishments had a negligible impact on school or student outcomes. It uses detailed data on the education production function to show that this fundamental component of command-and-control approaches does not induce bureaucratic action towards improvements in government performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Gulzar, Saad & Ladino, Juan Felipe & Mehmood, Muhammad Zia & Rogger, Daniel, 2025. "Command and Can’t Control : Assessing Centralized Accountability in the Public Sector," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11200, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11200
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