bureaucracy

What was the role of state capacity in the economic development of the US?

Politics and patronage exacerbate public sector absenteeism, limiting the efficacy of reform measures

Evidence from China shows why autocrats may introduce local elections and how this affects policy

Family ties to non-elected bureaucrats distort public employment outcomes, and standard anti-nepotism policies are ineffective at preventing their negative influence

Providing performance feedback on delays in public service delivery speeds up bureaucrats, but faster delivery does not decrease corruption. Instead, positive feedback to well-performing bureaucrats worsens corruption.

While China’s bureaucracy and institutions allow large-scale policy experimentation, incentives in complex political environments can inhibit policy learning

Hometown auditors report lower suspicious expenditures, implying that social ties are associated with greater leniency

Giving government procurement officers more leeway in decision-making over expenses could save billions