TY - JOUR
T1 - Activating the 'Big Man'
T2 - Social Status, Patronage Networks and Pro-Social Behavior in African Bureaucracies
AU - Harris, Adam S.
AU - Meyer-Sahling, Jan-Hinrik
AU - Mikkelsen, Kim Sass
AU - Schuster, Christian
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Public service delivery by African states is often characterized as particularist, favoring ethnic, personal or political networks of those inside the state over universalist, pro-social services to citizens. One explanation for particularist service delivery focuses on societal patronage norms, with “Big Men” providing for members of their networks. Despite the prominence of this line of reasoning and the anecdotal prevalence of “Big Men” in politics and society, hardly any research has quantitatively assessed the effects of “big man” governance inside the state. Through a behavioral experiment with over 1,300 Ugandan bureaucrats, our article seeks to address this gap. In the experiment, we find that activating social status—that is, “big man” status—in bureaucrats embedded in patronage networks significantly curbs their pro-social behavior. Our article contributes an important empirical micro-foundation to help explain one cause of limited universal service delivery by bureaucrats.
AB - Public service delivery by African states is often characterized as particularist, favoring ethnic, personal or political networks of those inside the state over universalist, pro-social services to citizens. One explanation for particularist service delivery focuses on societal patronage norms, with “Big Men” providing for members of their networks. Despite the prominence of this line of reasoning and the anecdotal prevalence of “Big Men” in politics and society, hardly any research has quantitatively assessed the effects of “big man” governance inside the state. Through a behavioral experiment with over 1,300 Ugandan bureaucrats, our article seeks to address this gap. In the experiment, we find that activating social status—that is, “big man” status—in bureaucrats embedded in patronage networks significantly curbs their pro-social behavior. Our article contributes an important empirical micro-foundation to help explain one cause of limited universal service delivery by bureaucrats.
U2 - 10.1093/jopart/muac009
DO - 10.1093/jopart/muac009
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1053-1858
VL - 33
SP - 94
EP - 105
JO - Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
JF - Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
IS - 1
ER -