AEA RCT Registry currently lists 12130 studies with locations in 170 countries.
The purpose of this experiment is to determine if prospective job applicants discriminate in their choice of whether to apply for jobs based on the perceived race of the employer. We will partner with a black owned company to place an employment ad for for an administrative assistant position. The advertisement will include instructions to email a company contact for more details on the position and application instructions. After an applicant is hired, a demographic survey will be sent to everyone who requested more information. Respondents will be randomized to receipt of more job details including either: [VERSION 1] "Thank you for your interest in a position with [COMPANY]." [VERSION 2] "Thank you for your interest in a position with [COMPANY], a Black owned company." ...
This study examines whether providing information on the evidence behind a program increases its adoption by government officials. To test this, we exploit the nationwide scale-up of an education campaign in the Dominican Republic and randomly vary whether school officials receive information on the existing evidence of the impact of the program. A treatment arm with financial incentives acts as a benchmark. Further, we analyze whether technical assistance and additional reminders increase take-up.
Peer assessment is widely used in academic settings, workplace evaluations, and collaborative contexts as a scalable alternative to expert grading. A well-documented concern is that grades assigned by peers may be driven not only by the objective quality of the work being evaluated, but also by strategic and social considerations — most notably, reciprocity. This study examines two related phenomena: (i) whether evaluators who expect their own grade to be influenced by the grade they assign (i.e., sequential first movers in a dyadic grading exchange) inflate their assessments in anticipation of reciprocal reward, and (ii) whether evaluators who have already received a grade adjust their own assessment in response to the surprise component of the grade they received. We exploit a cont...
Teachers often play an important role in advising students about post-secondary educational choices. In settings where students apply to a limited number of programs defined by university–major pairs, guidance from teachers can influence both the selectivity of universities students target and their choice of major. However, relatively little is known about how teachers form recommendations when advising students who differ in gender, academic profiles, and family backgrounds. The objective of this study is to examine the determinants of teachers’ guidance decisions. We conduct a survey experiment with high school teachers in which respondents evaluate hypothetical student profiles and provide recommendations about suitable university program targets. The profiles randomly vary along...
Investments in early childhood development (ECD) have lifelong effects on the growth of an individual, the educational attainment of the next generation, and the economic growth of a country. Poor ECD trends persist in populations around the world, especially those in lower and middle-income countries. Research shows that many children from less-resourced settings might not be experiencing high quality language and parent-child interaction environments necessary for healthy child development. Evidence from non-Western, as well as low-income settings in developed countries, suggests that the home language and parent-child interaction environment have a strong influence on child development outcomes. Rural China is one example of a low-income setting where the home language environment...
Female labor force participation in Jordan remains low despite women’s educational attainment, as elsewhere in the region. Could misperceived social norms about the support and increasing opportunity for Jordanian women among both households and employers keep women from reaching their potential and desired employment? An information treatment, as an experimental randomized component of this survey, showcases success stories from the Jordanian private sector relating to female employment and gender-inclusive practices, or featuring export-readiness-related success stories. This allows us to assess the effect of that information treatment on the employers' responses. The objective is to provide evidence-based advice to employers regarding labor and export policies.
We are studying Inspiring Teacher's Tools for Foundational Learning Improvement (TFLI). TFLI uses best practices from early-grade reading instruction in a structured pedagogy format, in which teachers are given teacher guides with semi-scripted, high-quality lesson plans that tell them exactly how to teach their classes. These plans are linked to workbooks, training and support from Inspiring Teachers’ employees, who are expert teachers and teacher trainers. This basic approach has been proven to be highly effective in many other interventions and contexts across Africa. TFLI adds a digital layer to this structured pedagogy approach, with teachers accessing program material and training videos via the Smart Coach smartphone app. The app will also collect high-frequency data on student o...
Students may not be aware of the contribution they can make by pursuing different majors, perceiving some fields as more associated with community well-being and others as lacking potential for social impact. We study these perceptions, along with students' preferences for this job attribute, and implement an information intervention to correct potential misperceptions about the social impact of different fields, allowing us to assess whether changes in these beliefs affect students' major choices. We run also a follow-up survey two months later. The goal of this survey wave is to assess the persistence of treatment effects on beliefs, advice given to peers, and major and minor intentions. We also collect qualitative data to gain a broader understanding of the other factors shaping ...
Traditional fired clay bricks dominate the construction sector in Bangladesh, contributing significantly to air pollution and topsoil degradation. Although cleaner, non-fired alternatives like concrete blocks exist, their adoption remains low. This study evaluates whether reducing information frictions and capacity constraints can accelerate adoption of blocks. We implement a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial across 66 upazilas (sub-districts) in 22 districts (total baseline sample N = 3,056 respondents). Upazilas are randomized within district into: (i) Control (no intervention), (ii) Treatment 1 (T1): information workshop on block usage plus a block supplier directory targeted to contractors, procurement officers, and private clients, and (iii) Treatment 2 (T2): T1 plus ha...
Legal or administrative barriers—such as employment bans for asylum seekers—can prevent people from working even when they initially would like to. This study examines whether such temporary barriers reduce people’s willingness to work both during periods of restricted access and after the barriers are removed and explores possible mechanisms driving these effects. In a multi-day online experiment, participants repeatedly choose between a well-paid work option and a lower-paid leisure option. In one treatment, participants are repeatedly prevented from carrying out the work option they choose and are instead assigned to leisure, creating a situation in which access to work is externally restricted. In a control group, participants always have full access to the work option. The main g...