Beliefs and the Demand for Employee Training: A Field Experiment with Small Firms in Uganda

Last registered on July 28, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Beliefs and the Demand for Employee Training: A Field Experiment with Small Firms in Uganda
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011788
Initial registration date
July 22, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 28, 2023, 1:28 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Uganda
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Sarojini Hirshleifer
Affiliation
UC Riverside
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Andy Brownback
PI Affiliation
University of Arkansas
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PI Name
Isaac Ahimbisibwe
PI Affiliation
UC Davis
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PI Name
Arman Rezaee
PI Affiliation
University of California, Davis
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-07-10
End date
2024-09-30
Keywords
Behavior, Education, Firms & Productivity, Labor
Additional Keywords
beliefs, training, development
JEL code(s)
M53, M51, D22, D23, D25, D52, D80, D83, J20, J24, J29, J30, J31, J46, J63, L20, L26
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines how employers select employees for training and employee demand for training. We incentive-compatibly elicit employers' beliefs about which of their employees it would be socially optimal to train, as well as employers' preferences over which of their employees they choose to train. We will then investigate if employers' selection of workers is individually rational or driven by behavioral biases. Finally, we will measure employees' self-selection into training and its alignment with employers' selections. To ensure incentive compatibility of employer and employee choices, we provide employees from a sample of metalworking SMEs in Kampala, Uganda, with a free, high-quality skills training. In addition, we conduct practical skills tests to measure employee metal working skills before and after training.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ahimbisibwe , Isaac et al. 2023. "Beliefs and the Demand for Employee Training: A Field Experiment with Small Firms in Uganda." AEA RCT Registry. July 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11788-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2023-10-01
Intervention End Date
2023-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
See attached.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
See attached.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
By a computer.
Randomization Unit
Firm
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
400 firms
Sample size: planned number of observations
400 firms/800 workers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
120 workers assigned to training from 60 randomly selected firms
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
The primary intent of this study is not to measure impacts of training. See attached pre-analysis plan.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
MILDMAY UGANDA RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE
IRB Approval Date
2023-06-29
IRB Approval Number
0202-2017
IRB Name
University of California, Davis
IRB Approval Date
2019-06-26
IRB Approval Number
1195803-3
Analysis Plan

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