1. The Political Economy of Bad Data: Evidence from African Survey Administrative Statistics
- Author:
- Amanda Glassman and Justin Sandefur
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- Across multiple African countries, discrepancies between administrative data and independent household surveys suggest official statistics systematically exaggerate development progress. We provide evidence for two distinct explanations of these discrepancies. First, governments misreport to foreign donors, as in the case of a results-based aid program rewarding reported vaccination rates. Second, national governments are themselves misled by frontline service providers, as in the case of primary education, where official enrollment numbers diverged from survey estimates after funding shifted from user fees to per pupil government grants. Both syndromes highlight the need for incentive compatibility between data systems and funding rules.
- Topic:
- Development, Foreign Aid, Foreign Direct Investment, Governance, and Developing World
- Political Geography:
- Africa