Evaluating the efficacy of demand-side communication interventions on claiming rights: evidence from an action research field experiment in India

Abstract

Communication-based interventions increasingly characterize attempts to strengthen policy implementation, especially policies targeting disadvantaged populations who despite their eligibility often fail to access potential benefits. However, factors that determine their effectiveness remains an open empirical question. To examine elements of effective communication in the exercising of rights, we designed and implemented a randomized field experiment around a public informational assistance campaign, spanning an entire urban district in India as part of a larger action research initiative. Situated within the context of India’s ambitious “Right to Education” Act, our intensive campaign employed distinct instruments varying in terms of trustworthiness, expertise, and media richness—frontline public health workers, trained student volunteers, and an interactive voice response system—to assist individuals in the claiming process. While our results reiterate the value of information, we find these effects to be less pronounced for the most disadvantaged. Our results also emphasize the role of expertise in navigating complex administrative processes. However, our analysis points to the necessity of complementing communication-based interventions with other supply-side enabling measures that ensure they aid the most disadvantaged.