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Do informed citizens receive more...or pay more ? the impact of radio on the government distribution of public health benefits

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  • Keefer, Philip
  • Khemani, Stuti

Abstract

The government provision of free or subsidized bed nets to combat malaria in Benin allows the identification of new channels through which mass media affect public policy outcomes. Prior research has concluded that governments provide greater private benefits to better-informed individuals. This paper shows, for the first time, that governments can also respond by exploiting informed individuals'greater willingness to pay for these benefits. Using a"natural experiment"in radio markets in northern Benin, the paper finds that media access increases the likelihood that households pay for the bed nets they receive from government, rather than getting them for free. Households more exposed to radio programming on the benefits of bed nets and the hazards of malaria place a higher value on bed nets. Local government officials exercise significant discretion over bed net pricing and respond to higher demand by selling bed nets that they could have distributed for free. Mass media appears to change the private behavior of citizens -- in this case, to invest more of their own resources on a public health good (bed nets) -- but not their ability to extract greater benefits from government.

Suggested Citation

  • Keefer, Philip & Khemani, Stuti, 2012. "Do informed citizens receive more...or pay more ? the impact of radio on the government distribution of public health benefits," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5952, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:5952
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. BONAN Jacopo & LEMAY-BOUCHER Philippe & SCOTT Douglas & TENIKUE Michel, 2015. "Increasing anti-malaria bednets uptake using information and distribution strategies," LISER Working Paper Series 2015-03, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    2. Liliane Bonnal & Pascal Favard & Domenico Polloni, 2017. "Risk Perception: Bed Net Use Against Malaria in Cameroon," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 37(3), pages 1630-1643.
    3. Fox, Jonathan A., 2015. "Social Accountability: What Does the Evidence Really Say?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 346-361.
    4. Alessandro, Martin & Cardinale Lagomarsino, Bruno & Scartascini, Carlos & Streb, Jorge & Torrealday, Jerónimo, 2021. "Transparency and Trust in Government. Evidence from a Survey Experiment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    5. Trust Madhovi, 2020. "The Impact of Social Accountability Mechanisms on Fiscal Management Challenges Facing Goromonzi Rural District Council, Zimbabwe," Journal of Public Administration and Governance, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(2), pages 141160-1411, December.
    6. Devarajan, Shantayanan & Kanbur, Ravi, 2013. "The Evolution of Development Strategy as Balancing Market and Government Failure," Working Papers 180091, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
    7. Khemani, Stuti, 2013. "Buying votes vs. supplying public services : political incentives to under-invest in pro-poor policies," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6339, The World Bank.

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    Keywords

    Health Monitoring&Evaluation; Population Policies; Knowledge Economy; Education For All; Malaria;
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