SMS Technology and Governance

Principal Investigator

Jonathan Rodden
Political Science Department, Stanford School of Humanities & Sciences

Co-Investigators

Stanford Graduate School of Business
Research Locations Uganda
Award Date December 2014
Award Type Faculty GDP Exploratory Project Award

Abstract

This proposal aims to support the solidification and expansion of a project utilizing SMS technology to enhance communication between citizens, service providers, and the local government in Arua, a rural district in Northwestern Uganda. The existing project is currently being rolled out as part of a randomized controlled trial under the auspices of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This proposal requests funding to expand the current push to register users in the innovative SMS program, develop and implement a series of experiments aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of the SMS survey technology, and develop a set of user groups that will allow like-minded citizens to work together in areas of mutual interest.