Problem Statement

The provision of public services is critical for human welfare.  However, public service provision is often marred by corruption or inefficiency.  Policymakers often claim that the provision of information to stakeholders can improve the delivery of public services, by increasing the accountability of service providers to communities.  However, previous evidence is mixed. Some studies suggest that providing information to beneficiary communities can indeed improve public service delivery (Reinikka and Svensson, 2005), but others find no effect of information without complementary interventions to directly incentivize action among stakeholders (e.g. Banerjee et al, 2010; Björkman and Svensson, 2014).  These different results may arise for two reasons: either because of differences in the precise details of the interventions, or alternatively because of cultural or institutional differences across contexts. Earlier information interventions were specific to the implementation contexts, meaning that it is impossible to distinguish between these two alternative explanations. 

In this study, we evaluate whether application of a scalable, replicable, and adaptable information-gathering and dissemination tool can improve WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) provision in schools, using a novel approach to measuring impacts, including automated tracking of latrine use and environmental microbial testing.  Importantly, our approach to measuring impacts can also be applied in a standardized way in different locations.  The results of this study will allow us to evaluate whether a single, time-limited information intervention can improve WASH service provision, in two contexts: urban Kolkata, in India; and villages in rural Bangladesh.  In doing so, we will establish a baseline from which future research can confirm under which circumstances information provision can improve the provision of public services. 

Intervention

The intervention we propose to evaluate is the Annotated Water Integrity Scan (AWIS). AWIS is a participatory approach to information gathering and dissemination designed to evaluate integrity.  Integrity is defined as a set of practices which impede corruption and promote respect for the rule of law.  AWIS is also specifically designed to identify priority steps for improvement. AWIS is scaleable, replicable, and adaptable to a wide range of contexts: in this case, the provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in schools. AWIS was developed by the Water Integrity Network (WIN) and has been adapted and applied in countries including Benin, India, Uganda, and Guatemala. 

The AWIS intervention consists of three stages: a policy review; a survey by NGO personnel; and a stakeholder workshop.  The workshop is the cornerstone of the process and itself consists of three stages.  First, stakeholders anonymously score processes on transparency, accountability and participation indicators.  Then, participants are invited to openly discuss and defend all scores, high and low, regardless of their own position.  Based on the outcomes of the discussion, the scores are jointly adjusted and aggregated, until they are agreed upon.  Finally, participants identify priority risks and action areas.  The AWIS process makes it possible to discuss integrity without antagonizing stakeholders and helps raise awareness on contrasting points of view and unexpected risks.  The assessment provides for a basis to advocate for undertaking steps to strengthen institutional and governance mechanisms. 

In this study, we implement AWIS with respect to WASH service provision in schools.  Many schoolchildren worldwide lack access to adequate WASH facilities, resulting in high rates of water-borne disease, absenteeism and elevated infant mortality in young children (UNICEF, 2012). In Bangladesh, in particular, the ratio of students to toilets is on average 187:1, and only a quarter of toilets are clean (Water Aid, 2016).  Worldwide, corruption is a major obstacle in providing adequate WASH services (UNDP, 2011).  In school WASH services in particular, funds for building or maintaining toilets may be siphoned off.  As a result, interventions to increase stakeholder awareness about legal responsibilities, funding allocations and channels for complaints can in principle create incentives for improved provision. 

A pilot study of AWIS in the school WASH sector in India revealed serious deficiencies in school WASH services, and indeed confirmed that stakeholders were unaware of school’s legal responsibilities with respect to WASH service provision, or of avenues to demand better service.  While stakeholders initially tended to blame one another for problems, the AWIS process focus on seeking constructive solutions allowed participants to overcome these differences and outline specific paths for action. However, whether or not the results of the AWIS process indeed translate into action, without complementary interventions designed to directly incentivize stakeholder action, is an open question, which this evaluation sets out to address.