Total Recall: Measurement Experiment

Last registered on December 14, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Total Recall: Measurement Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011110
Initial registration date
March 29, 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
March 30, 2023, 4:04 PM EDT

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

Last updated
December 14, 2023, 2:42 PM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Nivedhitha Subramanian
Affiliation
Bates College
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Erica Field
PI Affiliation
Duke University
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PI Name
Robert Garlick
PI Affiliation
Duke University
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PI Name
Kate Vyborny
PI Affiliation
Duke University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2021-06-01
End date
2025-12-31
Keywords
Labor, Other
Additional Keywords
Measurement
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
There is substantial variation across developing country surveys in labor market measurement. Different surveys use different recall periods, definitions of employment and search, and levels of detail in prompts. This variation may reflect open questions about how best to collect labor market data in these settings. We conduct a series of survey methods experiments in the context of a large panel study in Lahore, Pakistan. We will use these experiments to understand how variations in survey timing, recall periods, and questionnaire design influence measures of job search and employment. We benchmark the survey data against administrative data via a job search platform.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Field, Erica et al. 2023. "Total Recall: Measurement Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. December 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11110-1.1
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2021-06-01
Intervention End Date
2024-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Reporting patterns in surveys about Job search and employment
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
On-platform job search
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conduct a series of experiments related to measurement with a sample of job platform users. Over a series of surveys, we randomize the length of the recall period, level of detail in a question related to search activity, and the timing of the survey relative to when respondents receive notifications about open job postings through the platform. We also examine how these reporting patterns differ for more versus less active users of the platform, using a randomized encouragement design from another experiment.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is conducted using Stata.
Randomization Unit
For the recall period, we randomize at the level of the individual. For the other randomizations, we randomize within person through time.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
These experiments are embedded in a broader survey operation targeting 15,000 individuals. The randomizations are implemented during phone calls, so the effective sample size depends on the number of respondents who start surveys. We will only know this number after data collection finishes, but it will be at most 15,000 respondents.
Sample size: planned number of observations
See description above.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
As noted above, the final sample size by treatment arm will depend on the number of respondents who complete these surveys. We randomize half of the units into each treatment arm.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Duke University
IRB Approval Date
2019-01-28
IRB Approval Number
2019-0067
Analysis Plan