| Title: |
Command and Can't Control: Assessing Centralized Accountability in the Public Sector. Policy Research Working Paper 11200 |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Saad Gulzar; Juan Felipe Ladino; Muhammad Zia Mehmood; Daniel Rogger; World Bank |
| Source: |
World Bank. 2025. |
| Availability: |
World Bank Publications. 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433. Tel: 202-458-4500; Fax: 202-552-1500; Web site: http://www.worldbank.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: |
N |
| Page Count: |
71 |
| Publication Date: |
2025 |
| Document Type: |
Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: |
Public Sector; Accountability; Decision Making; Foreign Countries; Vertical Organization; Educational Administration; Models; Government (Administrative Body); Outcomes of Education; Administrative Organization; Public Education |
| Geographic Terms: |
Pakistan |
| Abstract: |
A long-established and widely used approach to management in government has been the transmission of information up a hierarchy, and centralized decision-making and oversight; colloquially known as 'command and control'. This paper examines accountability in such a system implemented at scale in Punjab, Pakistan. Using random variation in the intensity of accountability of the scheme, the paper shows that the corresponding de facto punishments had a negligible impact on school or student outcomes. It uses detailed data on the education production function to show that this fundamental component of command-and-control approaches does not induce bureaucratic action towards improvements in government performance. [Additional funding provided by the Blavatnik School of Government/Education Commission DeliverEd.] |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
ED679765 |
| Database: |
ERIC |