When assessing service delivery, most surveys examine the effects of policies or interventions on households and their demands for and perceptions of the quality of services. Inputs and outputs on the supply side—such as the flow of public funds and school enrollment rates—are left for official statistics or administrative records. Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) and Quantitative Service Delivery Surveys (QSDS) are two new tools that seek to document service delivery on the supply side, and have proven effective in increasing both the accountability and the effectiveness of service providers. In both instruments, the facility or frontline service provider is typically the main unit of analysis, in much the same way that the firm is the unit of observation in enterprise surveys and the household in household surveys.Diagnostic surveys such as these can provide vital information for decision makers when institutional weaknesses inhibit a more regular flow of information. They are particularly helpful in identifying areas where actions are needed to improve the relationships among different levels of government involved in service delivery; illustrating areas where information asymmetries exist among agencies; and highlighting opportunities for more effective means of accountability within agencies, among agencies at different levels, and between agencies and end users. When surveys are strategically designed, their findings can help induce policy change by making it easier for policy makers to find solutions. This note describes these tools in more detail and highlights their recent application in Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, and Honduras.
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