To what extent do politicians really keep bureaucrats focused on delivering public services? Politicians may distort the technical processes of the executive for political gain.
In a new research paper, I find that Nigerian politicians are a mixed bag for delivering infrastructure projects in local constituencies. The paper finds that political interference in the bureaucracy increases the likelihood that a project is launched by 18 percent, but at the cost of reducing project quality by 15 percent and increasing the reported misuse of funds. The results highlight the fundamental tension between bureaucratic inaction and political corruption.
Is this abstract too wordy for you? Would you prefer a comic strip? Then here is my attempt at a potentially more engaging way to read my paper … in three panels. As more researchers are presenting their work in comic strip form (see here and here for great examples), I thought I’d try a comic strip abstract. (The images are drawn from my collaboration with Albert Ohams on a graphic novel about bureaucracy in the developing world – www.watergetenemy.org.)
Let us know if you have examples to share of presenting research in this way.
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