With the advent of school-based management, citizen committees in low-income countries or areas are often expected to oversee the functioning of schools, health centres, and other community resources. However, studies of their effectiveness show mixed results. Though members of such committees may be able to repair buildings, they often cannot monitor the quality of instruction or of medical services. This article draws on psychological research to predict the performance of such committees, given their levels of education, group dynamics, and complexity of decisions. The research suggests that committees of the very poor may lack the time and resources to make good decisions; they also lack the experience with quality schools to accurately evaluate service delivery. Thus, donors and governments must understand better the decision-making dilemmas of people with limited literacy. Targeted research may clarify the chains of causality leading from management committee decisions to service delivery and may help improve services to the poor.