Published: May, 2018
Authors: Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling
Bureaucratic behavior in developing countries affects development centrally, yet remains poorly understood. Why do some public servants – yet not others – work hard to deliver public services, misuse state resources and/or participate in electoral mobilization? A classic answer comes from Weber: bureaucratic structures shift behavior towards integrity, neutrality and commitment to public service.
Our paper conducts the first experimental test of the effect of two important bureaucratic structures: merit examinations and job stability (tenure). It draws on a thus far unused method in studying bureaucracies: a conjoint experiment. The experiment was embedded in a survey of public servants in the Dominican Republic.
