Development and Government Accountability

This research is examining government accountability and the provision of health services in Nigeria. In 2007 the Nigerian federal government began implementing a conditional grants scheme that has made funds available to state governments to pursue the Millennium Development Goals, with a special focus on projects addressing the key health-related goals of reducing child mortality rates and the prevalence of disease, and improving maternal care. We are working with the Nigerian government to evaluate the impact of the program by examining evidence on health outcomes gathered in several large-scale surveys of Nigerian households and administrative data from the Nigerian ministry of health.

In 2011 the Nigerian government expanded the conditional grants scheme by making funds directly available to local governments. Again, the grants will focus on projects addressing the key health-related MDGs. We are working with the Nigerian government to design and test alternative types of information interventions aimed at improving local government accountability and performance. The project is generously funded by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

IMPLEMENTATION BEGAN IN 2011. Please check back soon as we will be posting new papers.