What Makes an Effective Bureaucrat? Evidence from the Indian Administrative Service

This is a joint research project between Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, where the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers are trained, LSE and University of Chicago. This project will use background data on all serving officers (caste, occupation of parents, schooling, performance on entrance exam, postings, empanelment etc) along with survey of media, businessmen, NGOs and other civil servants in each of the main Indian states about perceived effectiveness of the IAS officers. This research would allow examining the processes through which recruitment, training, pay and career experiences determine perceived effectiveness.

Such a study is of great importance for India, and its timing is particularly appropriate. Over the last decade and a half, India has adopted social and economic reform programs that have the potential of substantially raising the living standards for all Indian citizens. However, the eventual success or failure of these programs centrally depends on how they will be implemented in the field. Bureaucrats (and in particular IAS officers) play a key role in this implementation phase. Yet, despite their centrality to development and poverty reduction, the determinants of bureaucrats’ effectiveness are still poorly understood.