Using iBeacons to Track the Distribution of Patronage Goods

Study Context

The misallocation or disappearance of patronage goods (such as farming inputs or water purifying materials) are a substantial and expensive challenge in the aid industry. Poor distribution may undermine the benefit that the goods were designed to bring and potentially reduce support for development aid in donor countries.

Study Design

This project is piloting the use of iBeacon technology to track the distribution of solar lanterns in small communities in rural Kenya. The study will serve as a valuable test of the viability of the iBeacon technology as a measurement tool and promising approach to reducing leakage in the distribution of development goods.

Results and Policy Lessons

The leakage of development goods is a major challenge for governments and the aid industry, but it is difficult to quantify precisely. The technology was found to be effective in tracking the lanterns and identifying the households in which they were distributed. Combining the tracking data with survey data, the study found evidence of favoritism towards households with social ties to the village heads, but surprisingly little deviation from program guidelines overall. Where deviations were found to occur, they often involved distributions to households with significant need, notwithstanding their ineligibility vis-a-vis the strict program guidelines. These findings raise questions about common understandings of “leakage” in academic and policy literatures, suggesting that some of what is interpreted as malfeasance may in fact be welfare improving.