Research

Working Papers

Does Performance Evidence Motivate? A Field Experiment in Guinea-Bissau’s Health Sector

abstract

This paper asks whether evidence about an organization’s mission achievement motivates employees. In a randomized field experiment with the Ministry of Public Health of Guinea-Bissau, frontline health workers received credible evidence on their program’s impact on local health indicators. Six months later, treated workers provided 39% more time in direct care to recipients than the control group. Effects are largest where prior beliefs about local health status were inaccurate and over-optimistic, consistent with belief updating. The results suggest that “mission evidence” can be a low-cost lever to improve service delivery performance.

presentations

GIGA | SAEe 2024 | Universidad de Montevideo | Universidad Nacional de La Plata | LACEA-LAMES 2024 | Wageningen University | II Spanish Workshop in Development Economics | NOVAFRICA Conference 2024 | CSAE Conference 2024 | Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | University of Glasgow | Navarra Center for International Development | Imperial College Business School | University of Leicester School of Business | IE University | University of Alicante | NEUDC 2023 at Harvard University | World Bank DIME-KDI School 4th Development Impact Conference | Nova SBE Applied Micro WG Seminar | University of St.Gallen | Oxford Development Economics Workshop (OXDEV) 2023 | Advances with Field Experiments (AFE) 2023 Conference at The University of Chicago | 2023 Annual Conference SITES at University of Naples Parthenope | Royal Economic Society Ph.D. Conference 2023 at The University of Glasgow | Transatlantic Doctoral Conference 2023 at London Business School | Yale-RISE Conference 2022 | NOVAFRICA Conference 2022 | NOVAFRICA Working Group | Lisbon Micro Group

For Honor or for Profit? An Experiment on Recruiting Traditional Health Practitioners for Formal Healthcare

abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa faces substantial health challenges. While the use of the formal health system is limited, Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs) are central to healthcare: they are accessible, entrepreneurial, and share widespread traditional beliefs. We follow a program recruiting THPs to be trained and work as formal health agents. We randomize messages underlining either pro-social (honor) or pro-business (profit) benefits of the program. We find that THPs’ behavioral interest in the program is higher in the pro-business group. This is consistent with THPs’ perceptions about the program and driven by less religious THPs. Higher profits can motivate THPs to approach formal healthcare.

Direct and Indirect Communication Strategies to Deliver Market Information

with Brais Álvarez-Pereira, Aliu Bá, Nério Cá, Aida Embaló, Matilde Grácio, Adewusi Mendonça, Giulio Schinaia, and Dayvikson Tavares
abstract

Access to timely market information can improve bargaining power in transactions. However, subscription services, requiring users to pay to access market information, reach only a small fraction of the potential market. Employing a randomized clustered control trial across 187 villages in Guinea-Bissau, we evaluate various models for disseminating market information. In about two-thirds of the villages, a focal point appointed by the village receives weekly market updates via phone calls from a team of market analysts based in the capital. These focal points are encouraged to share this information with other producers in their respective villages. Additionally, we randomly allocate half of the focal points with a list of buyers’ contacts to examine whether search barriers impede transactions in this market. In the remaining third of the villages, producers are offered direct access to weekly market updates via robocalls and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system through a subscription service. Our study contributes to understanding the role of human intermediaries in facilitating market information access and provides insights for designing effective interventions to enhance market access for small-scale producers.

Selected work in progress

Countering Islamic Radicalization in Northern Mozambique: Teenagers

with Flávio Cunha, Pedro C. Vicente, and Inês Vilela
Fieldwork completed.

Integrating Traditional Healers in the Formal Health System

On the Collaboration Between Traditional Health Practitioners and the Formal Health System

with Teresa Molina-Millán, and Pedro C. Vicente
Funding secured.

Digital Credit and Financial Behavior

with Francesco Loiacono
Funding secured.

Artificial Intelligence and Financial Inclusion

with Francesco Loiacono
Applying for funding.

Technological Innovation for Advancing Community-Based Healthcare

with Teresa Molina-Millán
Applying for funding.

Publications

Motivating Community Health Workers

with Teresa Molina-Millán, Andrej Smirnov, and Pedro C. Vicente
Handbook on Behavioural Field Experiments in the Social Sciences, forthcoming

Motivating Volunteer Health Workers in an African Capital City

with Teresa Molina-Millán and Pedro C. Vicente
Journal of Development Economics, 2023, 163, 103096

Let’s Call! Using the Phone to Increase Vaccine Acceptance

with Alex Armand and Pedro C. Vicente
Health Economics, 2023

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy in Low and Middle Income Countries, and Implications for Messaging

with Solís Arce, J.S., Warren, S.S., Meriggi, N.F. et al.
Nature Medicine, 2021