Gauri, VarunJamison, Julian C.Mazar, NinaOzier, Owen2020-04-102020-04-102019-12Varun Gauri, Julian C Jamison, Nina Mazar, Owen Ozier. 2019. "Motivating bureaucrats through social recognition: External validity—A tale of two states." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.05.0050749-5978https://hdl.handle.net/2144/40096Bureaucratic performance is a crucial determinant of economic growth, but little real-world evidence exists on how to improve it, especially in resource-constrained settings. We conducted a field experiment of a social recognition intervention to improve record keeping in health facilities in two Nigerian states, replicating the intervention – implemented by a single organization – on bureaucrats performing identical tasks. Social recognition improved performance in one state but had no effect in the other, highlighting both the potential benefits and also the sometimes-limited generalizability of behavioral interventions. Furthermore, differences in facility-level observables did not explain cross-state differences in impacts, suggesting that it may often be difficult to predict external validity.en-USAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/RCTExternal validityBureaucracyBehavioral insightsNudgesHealthcareSocial psychologyCommerce, management, tourism and servicesPsychology and cognitive sciencesArticle10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.05.005476770