Data and Policy Decisions: Experimental Evidence from Pakistan

We evaluate a program in Pakistan that equips government health inspectors with a smartphone app which channels data on rural clinics to senior policy makers. The system led to rural clinics being inspected 74% more often. There is also suggestive evidence of a subsequent 57% increase in doctor attendance from monitoring from a dismal base of 23.7%. In addition, we test whether senior officials act on the information provided by the system. We find that highlighting poorly performing facilities raises doctor attendance by 75%. Our results indicate that technology can mobilize data to real effect, even in low capacity settings.