Episode 2 : Getting Rid of the Middlemen

About the Episode – Providing services effectively is a key function that states often fail to deliver. There exist many reasons for this. However, a key reason is that there exist intermediaries who serve as gatekeepers for accessing services. Different middlemen exist for accessing various services, but they all share a common objective. In return for ensuring access to the service, they expect payment. This payment could be in the form of money or other favours the other party must carry out. So why do these middlemen exist? Is it because governments aren’t effective in publicising how to access services?

Part 1 – In this episode, we discuss precisely these questions.

This episode is the first part of a two-part-episode series on Getting Rid of the Middlemen based on Dr Tesalia Rizzo Reyes’s paper: When Clients Exit: Breaking the Clientelist Feedback Loop. You can access the paper here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mg56bfukhqm15fr/Rizzo-WhenClientsExit_Draft_MostRecent.pdf

Available Now on –

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3zHUgD4

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OLs7iT

Amazon Podcasts: https://amzn.to/3oJrPyg

Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3OItdMd

Overcast: https://lnkd.in/dWvfw789

Castbox: https://bit.ly/3cT0C9T

Stitcher: https://bit.ly/3cM5BZL

PocketCasts: https://bit.ly/3bj4sbK

RadioPublic: https://bit.ly/3bg6mtJ

Part 2 – You can check out the previous episode to understand why middlemen exist and their different expectations.

In this episode, we will discuss Prof. Rizzo’s intervention of hiring facilitators to assist citizens with accessing services. How does that impact the relationship between the citizen and the middlemen?

Available Now on –

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3QPtGhb

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QulbrX

Amazon Podcasts: https://amzn.to/3pp5q9X

Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3SWZKBp

Overcast: https://lnkd.in/dqh5-2XF

Castbox: https://bit.ly/3dEMBNa

Stitcher: https://bit.ly/3C84Xk5

PocketCasts: https://bit.ly/3PuDD2u

RadioPublic: https://bit.ly/3C8LX4Y

Prof. Reyes is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Merced. She is also a Research Affiliate at MIT Governance Lab and the Standard Governance Project. She received her PhD in Political Science in 2020 from MIT.

Her research interests lie in studying comparative political behaviour and political economy topics using various techniques such as field experiments, surveys, interviews, and observational data. In addition, she is currently working on a book project titled “Intermediaries of the State: The Bureaucratic Transaction Costs of Claiming Welfare in Mexico,” The book explores how bureaucratic transaction costs prevent individuals from directly claiming welfare benefits.