PETS-QSDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: a stocktaking study

In order to improve governance and reduce corruption in public service delivery (like ghost workers for example...), micro-level data is required to understand the incentives and behaviour of public officials, service providers and clients in order to identify institutional arrangements conducive to effective service delivery. Two types of micro-level surveys have been devised to measure corruption and assess performance in basic service delivery i.e. Public Expenditure Tracking Survey (PETS) and Quantitative Service Delivery Survey (QSDS). They have been implemented in the last ten years in about two dozen developing countries. This study examines PETS and QSDS carried out in Africa with the objective of assessing their approaches, main findings and contributions. It investigates the context, motivations and objectives of PETS and QSDS that have been carried out in Sub-Saharan Africa. It analyzes methodological approaches used in previous tracking surveys in order to identify factors that could explain the difference in the success of past surveys. It presents a series of good practice principles that arise from past experience. Finally, it proposes potential future surveys and endeavours.