Co-Production Theory and Community Infrastructure Delivery in Nigeria: A Multi-State Experimental Study

Co-production theory posits that service users contribute resources and effort that complement public service delivery, yet its application to community infrastructure project management in Nigeria has not been experimentally tested. This study tests co-production theory in community infrastructure delivery through a multi-state experimental design in Nigeria. A cluster randomized experiment will assign 60 community infrastructure projects across Ondo, Niger, Ebonyi, Kaduna, and Akwa Ibom States to co-production treatment and control conditions. Treatment projects will implement structured community co-production protocols including labour contribution, materials sourcing, and maintenance planning. Control projects will receive standard government delivery. Primary outcomes including construction quality scores, cost efficiency, and post-completion maintenance rates will be measured at six and 18 months. Process evaluations will document co-production mechanisms. This constitutes the first randomized experimental test of co-production in Nigerian community infrastructure, generating high-quality causal evidence for community participation policy in infrastructure project delivery. Keywords: co-production theory, community infrastructure, randomized experiment, Nigeria, participatory delivery