Article summary
Decentralization reforms aim to improve governance by distributing authority. This article explores whether such reforms increase cooperation among public officials in practice. We compare collaboration across decentralized and centrally-administered municipalities in Honduras. Using a quasi-experiment created by recent health sector reform, along with behavioral games and social network surveys, we find decentralization is linked to greater inter-agency cooperation. Specifically, when allowed communication, health workers in decentralized areas contributed more significantly to public goods than counterparts in centralized settings. This boost stems partly from two factors: