The Impact of Social Mobilization on Health Service Delivery and Health Outcomes: Evidence from Rural Pakistan

Abstract

This paper uses a randomized community development program in rural Pakistan to assess the impact of citizen engagement on the quality of public health services. The program had a strong emphasis on organizing women, who also identified health services as a development priority at baseline. Assessing the program at midline, the paper finds that the mobilization effort alone had a significant impact on the performance of village-based health providers. The study detects economically large improvements in pregnancy and well-baby visits by lady health workers, as well as increased utilization of pre- and post-natal care by pregnant women. In contrast, the quality of supra-village health services did not improve, underscoring the importance of community enforcement and monitoring capacity for improving service delivery.

Keywords: Community Development and Empowerment, Services & Transfers to Poor, Access of Poor to Social Services, Community Driven Development, Disability, Economic Assistance, Technology Industry, Technology Innovation