Community monitoring interventions to curb corruption and increase access and quality of service delivery in low- and middle-income countries

Abstract

The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is an international grant-making NGO promoting evidence-informed development policies and programmes. We are the global leader in funding, producing and synthesising high-quality evidence of what works, for whom, why and at what cost. We believe that better and policyrelevant evidence will help make development more effective and improve people's lives.3ie systematic reviews 3ie systematic reviews appraise and synthesise the available high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of social and economic development interventions in low-and middle-income countries. These reviews follow scientifically recognised review methods, and are peer-reviewed and quality assured according to internationally accepted standards. 3ie is providing leadership in demonstrating rigorous and innovative review methodologies, such as using theory-based approaches suited to inform policy and programming in the dynamic contexts and challenges of low-and middle-income countries. About this reviewCommunity monitoring interventions to curb corruption and increase access and quality of service delivery in low-and middle-income countries, was submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of grant SR4.1034 issued under Systematic Review Window 4. This review is available on the 3ie website. 3ie is publishing this report as received from the authors; it has been formatted to 3ie style. This review has also been published in the Campbell Collaboration Library and is available here.All content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not represent the opinions of 3ie, its donors or its board of commissioners. Any errors are also the sole responsibility of the authors. Comments or queries should be directed to the corresponding author, Ezequiel Molina, molina@worldbank.org Funding for this systematic review was provided by 3ie's donors, which include UK aid, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Hewlett Foundation and 16 other 3ie members that provide institutional support. What did the review study?Corruption and inefficient allocation of resources in service delivery are widespread in low-and middle-income countries. Community monitoring interventions (CMIs) are intended to address this problem. The community is given the opportunity to participate in monitoring service delivery: observing and assessing providers' performance to provide feedback to providers and politicians.This review assesses the evidence on the effects of community monitoring interventions on corruption and access and quality of service delivery outcomes. The review also considers the mechanism through which CMIs effect a change in corruption and service delivery outcomes, and possible moderating factors such as geographic region, income level or length of exposure to interventions. What studies are included?To assess the effect on corruption included studies had to have either an experimental or a quasi-experimental design. Qualitative studies were included to assess mechanisms and moderators.The review as...

Community monitoring interventions to curb corruption and increase access and quality in service delivery: a systematic review

“…Further details about the methods used to undertake the review are provided in the published protocol (Molina et al, 2014) and the full technical report (Molina et al, 2016).…”

Citizen engagement in public services in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A mixed‐methods systematic review of participation, inclusion, transparency and accountability (PITA) initiatives

“…Several high quality systematic reviews exist focusing specifically on the impact of community-based monitoring and information interventions (Molina et al 2016;Snilstveit et al 2015). included in the review.…”

Incentives for climate mitigation in the land use sector – the effects of payment for environmental services (PES) on environmental and socio-economic outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: a mixed-method systematic review

“…Barriers to access to public services for vulnerable groups exacerbate inequality, with potential long-term repercussions for a society's development (Easterly, 2007). Fraud and corruption are pervasive across low-and middle-income countries, and the negative consequences on quality of life and core development outcomes are well documented (Svensson, 2005;Molina et al, 2016). Where state and public actors cannot be effectively held accountable, a culture of impunity develops that normalizes fraud and rent-seeking practices.…”

“…The first is to provide systematic evidence on PITA for external engagement in development programming (outside of the education sector) in L&MICs. Molina et al (2016) presented a systematic review of community monitoring studies in L&MICs. King et al (2010) and White et al (2018) reviewed community driven development.…”