Publication:
The Power of Information: Evidence from a Newspaper Campaign to Reduce Capture

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dc.contributor.authorReinikka, Ritva
dc.contributor.authorSvensson, Jakob
dc.date.accessioned2013-07-10T19:06:06Z
dc.date.available2013-07-10T19:06:06Z
dc.date.issued2003-12
dc.description.abstractThe authors exploit an unusual policy experiment to evaluate the effects of increased public access to information as a tool to reduce capture and corruption of public funds. In the late 1990s, the Ugandan government initiated a newspaper campaign to boost schools' and parents' ability to monitor local officials' handling of a large school-grant program. The results were striking: capture was reduced from 80 percent in 1995 to less than 20 percent in 2001. The authors use distance to the nearest newspaper outlet as an instrument for exposure to the campaign. Proximity to a newspaper outlet is positively correlated with the head teachers' knowledge about rules governing the grant program and the timing of releases of funds from the center, but uncorrelated with test scores of general ability. A strong (reduced-form) relationship exists between proximity to a newspaper outlet and reduction in capture of school funds since the newspaper campaign started. This pattern contrasts sharply with the outcomes in the five-year period prior to the campaign. Instrumenting for head teachers' knowledge about the grant program, the authors find that public access to information is a powerful deterrent to capture at the local level.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/03/3056020/power-information-evidence-newspaper-campaign-reduce-capture
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-3239
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/14448
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWorld Bank, Washington, D.C.
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper;No.3239
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectACCESS TO INFORMATION
dc.subjectACCOUNTABILITY
dc.subjectAUDITING
dc.subjectCLINICS
dc.subjectCORRUPTION
dc.subjectDATA COLLECTION
dc.subjectEDUCATION OFFICERS
dc.subjectEDUCATION SECTOR
dc.subjectELITES
dc.subjectENROLLMENT
dc.subjectGOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOLS
dc.subjectHEAD TEACHERS
dc.subjectINSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
dc.subjectINTERVIEWS
dc.subjectJOURNALISTS
dc.subjectLET
dc.subjectLOCAL GOVERNMENT
dc.subjectMANAGERS
dc.subjectMASS MEDIA
dc.subjectMEDIA FREEDOM
dc.subjectPAPERS
dc.subjectPARENTS
dc.subjectPOLITICAL ACCOUNTABILITY
dc.subjectPOLITICAL ACTIVITIES
dc.subjectPOLITICAL PARTIES
dc.subjectPOLITICAL SYSTEMS
dc.subjectPRIMARY SCHOOLS
dc.subjectPROGRAMS
dc.subjectPUBLIC ACCESS
dc.subjectPUBLIC EXPENDITURE
dc.subjectPUBLIC FUNDS
dc.subjectPUBLIC SECTOR
dc.subjectQUANTITATIVE DATA
dc.subjectRURAL LOCATIONS
dc.subjectSCHOOL MANAGEMENT
dc.subjectSCHOOL QUALITY
dc.subjectSCHOOLING
dc.subjectSCHOOLS
dc.subjectSERVICE DELIVERY
dc.subjectSERVICE DELIVERY CHAIN
dc.subjectSERVICE PROVIDERS
dc.subjectTEACHER
dc.subjectTEST SCORES
dc.subjectTEXTBOOKS
dc.subjectUNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION
dc.subjectVILLAGE
dc.subjectWORKERS ACCESS TO INFORMATION
dc.subjectPUBLIC AWARENESS
dc.subjectCORRUPT PRACTICES
dc.subjectPUBLIC EXPENDITURES
dc.subjectPOLITICAL FACTORS
dc.subjectKNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION
dc.subjectEMPOWERMENT
dc.titleThe Power of Information: Evidence from a Newspaper Campaign to Reduce Captureen
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.crossref.titleThe Power of Information: Evidence from a Newspaper Campaign to Reduce Capture
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-10T09:28:08.230808Z
okr.doctypePublications & Research::Policy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/03/3056020/power-information-evidence-newspaper-campaign-reduce-capture
okr.globalpracticeEducation
okr.globalpracticeTransport and ICT
okr.globalpracticeHealth, Nutrition, and Population
okr.guid883011468777296898
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-3239
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum000012009_20040326142036
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum3056020
okr.identifier.reportWPS3239
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2004/03/26/000012009_20040326142036/Rendered/PDF/WPS3239.pdfen
okr.region.administrativeAfrica
okr.region.countryUganda
okr.topicHealth Monitoring and Evaluation
okr.topicEducation::Primary Education
okr.topicHealth, Nutrition and Population::Public Health Promotion
okr.topicInformation and Communication Technologies::ICT Policy and Strategies
okr.topicTeaching and Learning
okr.unitOff of Sr VP Dev Econ/Chief Econ (DECVP)
okr.volume1 of 1
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
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