Borrowing and Intra-household Conflict among Migrant Domestic Workers in Hong Kong

Last registered on May 03, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Borrowing and Intra-household Conflict among Migrant Domestic Workers in Hong Kong
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011329
Initial registration date
April 25, 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
May 03, 2023, 4:06 PM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Sujata Visaria
Affiliation
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Utpal Bhattacharya
PI Affiliation
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Wooyoung Lim
PI Affiliation
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2023-04-30
End date
2025-06-30
Keywords
Finance & Microfinance
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Many Filipina domestic workers finance their investments through loans from Hong Kong moneylenders, taking on the responsibility of expensive repayment installments and the risk of severe penalties in case of default.

This study tries to uncover the factors that drive this behaviours, focusing on migrants' lack of control over expenses. In particular it examines the role of family relationships and the financial discipline that loans provide.

We will use experimental methods with Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong to generate data that will allow us to examine the mechanisms underlying their financial choices.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bhattacharya, Utpal, Wooyoung Lim and Sujata Visaria. 2023. "Borrowing and Intra-household Conflict among Migrant Domestic Workers in Hong Kong." AEA RCT Registry. May 03. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11329-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Participants are randomly assigned to think of situations where their family members have been supportive or unsupportive of their migration goals.
Intervention Start Date
2023-04-30
Intervention End Date
2024-06-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
self-reported propensity to borrow for investment purposes, inform family member about loan, and projected propensity of family member to request a money transfer; actual choice to inform family member about study compensation
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
NA

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Other outcomes that emerge from the study will be treated as secondary outcomes.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
The analysis of these other outcomes will be exploratory.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We follows a 2-intervention arm design. Participants are randomly assigned to either the "cooperative family" or the "uncooperative family" condition.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomisation will be done in the office via a computer before the fieldwork begins. A list with the order of assignment to conditions will be taken to the field, and participants will be assigned to the condition according to the list, in the order in which they arrive and are registered to participate. (Successful registration is subject to capacity constraints on the enumerator side.)
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
150
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
50 individuals cooperative; 100 individuals uncooperative.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
HKUST Human and Artefacts Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2022-11-24
IRB Approval Number
HREP-2022-0235
Analysis Plan