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Media, Monitoring, and Capture of Public Funds: Evidence from Madagascar

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  • Francken, Nathalie
  • Minten, Bart
  • Swinnen, Johan F.M.

Abstract

Summary This paper investigates the role of media and monitoring in reducing capture. We analyze data on capture of public expenditures by local officials in Madagascar. Our findings indicate important constraints on decentralization of public service delivery, in particular in remote areas. Capture could be successfully constrained through a combination of media programs and monitoring. Intensive monitoring and access to media reduce capture. However, the impact of media is conditional on characteristics of the population. With high illiteracy in poor regions, the effectiveness of newspaper and poster campaigns is limited, and radio and television programs are more important to reduce capture.

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  • Francken, Nathalie & Minten, Bart & Swinnen, Johan F.M., 2009. "Media, Monitoring, and Capture of Public Funds: Evidence from Madagascar," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 242-255, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:37:y:2009:i:1:p:242-255
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    6. Patrick O Waeber & Lucienne Wilmé & Jean-Roger Mercier & Christian Camara & Porter P Lowry II, 2016. "How Effective Have Thirty Years of Internationally Driven Conservation and Development Efforts Been in Madagascar?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(8), pages 1-13, August.
    7. Asri, Viola & Michaelowa, Katharina & Panda, Sitakanta & Paul, Sourabh B., 2022. "The pursuit of simplicity: Can simplifying eligibility criteria improve social pension targeting?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 820-846.
    8. Anke S. K. Frank & Livia Schäffler, 2019. "Identifying Key Knowledge Gaps to Better Protect Biodiversity and Simultaneously Secure Livelihoods in a Priority Conservation Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-22, October.
    9. Han, Chunjia & Yang, Mu & Piterou, Athena, 2021. "Do news media and citizens have the same agenda on COVID-19? an empirical comparison of twitter posts," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
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