Motivating bureaucrats through social recognition: External validity—A tale of two states

Publication date: Available online 13 December 2019Source: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision ProcessesAuthor(s): Varun Gauri, Julian C. Jamison, Nina Mazar, Owen OzierAbstractBureaucratic performance is a crucial determinant of economic growth, but little real-world evidence exists on how to improve it, especially in resource-constrained settings. We conducted a field experiment of a social recognition intervention to improve record keeping in health facilities in two Nigerian states, replicating the intervention – implemented by a single organization – on bureaucrats performing identical tasks. Social recognition improved performance in one state but had no effect in the other, highlighting both the potential benefits and also the sometimes-limited generalizability of behavioral interventions. Furthermore, differences in facility-level observables did not explain cross-state differences in impacts, suggesting that it may often be difficult to predict external validity.
Source: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research