Building State Capacity and National Unity with Market Design: The Problem of Assignment in Kenya’s G-United Program

This project examines a Kenyan government program, G-United, which places university graduates in primary schools around the country with the goals of boosting national unity and improving student learning. One part of the project examines the effect of the program on national unity objectives, including applicants’ and participating communities’ inter-tribal prejudice. Another examines the impact of market- design inspired strategies for assigning participants to positions on applicant retention, satisfaction, and performance. This part will examine whether an assignment system that incorporates applicants’ preferences will increase commitment and improve productivity, and will explore its impact on national unity objectives. Estimates of the effect of the assignment scheme on productivity and retention will, in turn, allow for an evaluation of the effect of the assignment scheme on overall program effectiveness, and of potential trade-offs related to the selection of different mechanisms.