Dissertation Research: Public Service Provision and Pockets of Effectiveness

威斯康星州麦迪逊大学有效提供基本公共服务对于减少发展中国家的贫困至关重要。然而，在许多国家，负责提供水、安全、卫生服务和教育等服务的政府机构功能失调。在国际支持下进行的公共部门改革往往未能纠正这种情况。这就是为什么需要系统地关注一些政府机构在政府效率低下的情况下满足公共服务要求的能力。本项目侧重于组织绩效的国家以下一级的差异，研究这些组织为什么以及如何实现令人满意的绩效水平。通过探索这些有效的公共服务提供的口袋出现，并成为制度化的微观过程和机制，该项目作出了理论贡献，了解国家以下的制度变异，制度变迁和发展的起源。调查结果还将对从事腐败和公共服务工作的决策者和国际机构具有相关性。该项目采用配对设计，比较了尼日利亚在提供公共服务方面差异很大的政府机构。在半结构化访谈、焦点小组讨论、非参与者观察、调查和行政数据分析的基础上，将采用流程追踪和个案内分析来确定工作中的流程和机制，并进行跨个案分析以增加杠杆作用。

SES-1636972Ivan ErmakoffMichael RollUniversity of Wisconsin MadisonThe effective provision of basic public services is essential for reducing poverty in the developing world. In many countries, however, government agencies in charge of providing services like water, security, health services, and education are dysfunctional. Often, public sector reforms undertaken with international support have failed to remedy this situation. That is why the capacity of some government agencies to meet public service requirements in contexts marked by governmental ineffectiveness requires systematic attention. Focusing on subnational variation in organizational performance, this project examines why and how these organizations achieve satisfactory levels of performance. By exploring the micro-processes and mechanisms through which these pockets of effective public service provision emerge and become institutionalized, this project makes a theoretical contribution to understanding the origins of subnational institutional variation, institutional change, and development. The findings will also be of relevance to policymakers and international agencies working on corruption and public services. Using a matched pairs design, the project compares government agencies in Nigeria that differ substantially in terms of public service provision. Based on semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, non-participant observation, surveys, and the analysis of administrative data, process tracing and within-case analysis will be employed for identifying the processes and mechanisms at work and cross-case analysis for added leverage.