activities. We aimed to design an intervention that would _symmetrically_ reduce principal and agent costs of information acquisition _dramatically_ . Even in the presence of free-riding, a large symmetric reduction in costs of information acquisition can increase the general accuracy of agent beliefs in a hierarchy (Aghion and Tirole, 1997; Garicano, 2000; Gabaix et al., 2006).<sup>31</sup> Our intervention is based on a common approach to improving the information of public officials - the evidence briefing. Such briefings are now commonplace as a tool of government or research organizations whose aim is to inform public officials. By condensing research findings, evaluations or survey data into focused communications, evidence briefings aim to inform the decision-making of public officials by reducing the cost of interacting with the raw analysis.<sup>32</sup> Government circulars have been widely used throughout history to provide information to a body of public officials. Recently, forms of evidence briefing have begun to be routinely produced by economics research institutions as diverse as the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Centre for Economic Policy Research, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, JPAL/IPA, and the World Bank Group. The use of evidence briefings is part of a broader effort to make public policy ‘evidence-based’ by informing the beliefs of public officials (Smith, 1996; Pawson, 2006, Parkhurst, 2017).

Prior to the enumeration of the survey, a random sub-sample of the organizations we study were sent the official administrative data corresponding to our policy variables of interest as a government circular. A set of federal organizations received data for all regions for all indicators, highlighting the median district for each indicator for each region. Similarly, a random sub-sample of district jurisdictions were sent the official administrative data for their whole region for all indicators, also highlighting the median district for each indicator. Since the information package to the district-level jurisdictions had to pass through the regional offices, this meant that all regional officers were treated. Table A11 presents a comparison of treatment and control groups across key characteristics of individual officials and the organizations in which they work. Treatment and control groups look balanced across individual and organizational characteristics, differing on a single variable at the usual levels of significance (years in position).

For the treated district jurisdictions, the information package was sent to the Regional Bureau of Public Service with instructions to pass on the data to the randomly selected districts. This primarily occurred through the Woreda Office of Public Service, which then disseminated the information to the offices within the district jurisdiction. Since all regions were asked to communicate with the district administrations of the arrival of the survey team in advance (to prepare the logistics, in terms of office space, in terms

> 31Reducing the marginal cost for the principal (agent) only will increase the investment of the principal (agent) but decrease the investment of the agent (principal) due to the strategic substitutability between the two.

> 32The prevalence of conditions to produce an evidence or ‘policy’ briefing as a requirement of research funding awards implies the importance of the medium in the profession’s approach to influencing public policy. For example, such a requirement is included in most of the UK’s Economic and Research Council grants (https://esrc.ukri.org/funding/guidancefor-grant-holders/information-for-new-grant-holders/) and International Growth Centre grants (https://www.theigc.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/12/IGC-Outputs-Guideline.pdf).

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