What can transaction costs tell us about governance in the delivery of large scale HIV prevention programmes in southern India?
2011

Understanding Governance in HIV Prevention Programs in India

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Lorna Guinness

Primary Institution: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Hypothesis

What are the transaction costs implications of different governance modes for HIV prevention services contracted to NGOs in India?

Conclusion

The management agency approach to contracting HIV prevention services in India reduces transaction costs and improves governance compared to direct contracting with NGOs.

Supporting Evidence

  • The management agency model increased transparency and reduced corruption in NGO recruitment.
  • State Y's management agency provided more training and support compared to State X.
  • Opportunism and funding delays were significant issues in both states.

Takeaway

This study looks at how different ways of managing HIV prevention programs in India can affect costs and success. It finds that using a management agency helps make things work better.

Methodology

Qualitative data were collected through interviews and document reviews to compare transaction costs in two different governance models for HIV prevention services.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in monitoring due to staff from competing NGOs being involved in evaluations.

Limitations

The qualitative nature of the study limits direct comparison of the two models, and there were inconsistencies in the documentation used.

Participant Demographics

The study involved NGOs and key informants from two Indian states with high adult HIV prevalence.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.01.019

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