Digitalization of Public Service Delivery and Inclusive Development

Introduction

An estimated 5.7 million people die every year and another 100 million are pushed into extreme poverty due to limited access to essential public services in low-income countries (Lancet Health Commission, 2018). Governments across the globe have responded by adopting digital technologies — e.g., by making services available to citizens virtually — in the hopes of providing broader, faster, and cheaper access to public services.

Challenges in Digitalization

While high-income countries have made impressive strides in this regard, low-income countries continue to struggle with nearly one-third of digitalization projects being abandoned and substantial resources being wasted (World Development Report, 2016). Moreover, even when successful, these digitization projects risk excluding vulnerable individuals with limited connectivity, potentially widening existing inequalities.

Research Objectives

This research proposal aims to advance our understanding of:

1. The determinants of the success or failure of digitalization in the public sector of developing countries.
2. The ways digital technologies can be harnessed to improve the efficiency and inclusion of public service delivery, thereby producing more robust and inclusive economic growth.

Methodology

In collaboration with local governments and NGOs, I will design and carry out four large-scale randomized experiments in countries where public services are being digitized (India, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Liberia).

Focus of Experiments

In these experiments, I will study digital technologies that influence:

1. The demand for public services by allowing citizens to access them digitally.
2. The supply of in-person services by remotely monitoring or supervising the delivery agents.

Expected Outcomes

The results will inform public policy in low-income countries, ultimately helping a broader segment of the population access more and higher quality public services.