Group Incentives for the Public Good: A Field Experiment on Improving the Urban Environment

How to effectively maintain communal spaces is an important concern in many developing countries, particularly urban environments. But what strategies can communities use overcome the public goods problems involved maintaining their local environment? In this paper, we investigate whether changing incentives for a subset of community contribute good lead shift more efficient equilibrium as whole. We randomized controlled trial test effectiveness program called “Operation Clean Neighborhood”, which targets established Community Based Organizations and encourages them, through social recognition low-value in-kind incentives, work towards keeping neighborhoods clean, with ultimate goal also reducing flooding these areas. After one year, find that our intervention effective engaging improving cleanliness neighborhood evidence leads reduced levels flooding. uncover differences between areas have had increased investment drainage infrastructure those not. analysis address issue spillovers, consideration densely populated centers.