Public-private partnerships for affordable housing: Experimental evidence from Nigeria

Last registered on August 10, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Public-private partnerships for affordable housing: Experimental evidence from Nigeria
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011883
Initial registration date
August 10, 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
August 10, 2023, 1:43 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Nigeria
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Yanlin Wan
Affiliation
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Xu Zhang
PI Affiliation
HKUST(GZ)
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PI Name
Shem Ikoojo Ayegba
PI Affiliation
HKUST
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PI Name
Yun Hou
PI Affiliation
HKUST(GZ)
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PI Name
Ye Qi
PI Affiliation
HKUST
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-08-02
End date
2024-03-02
Keywords
Behavior, Governance
Additional Keywords
Affordable housing, Public-Private Partnership
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
Affordable housing is a critical challenge across many developing countries, including Nigeria, where the housing deficit is estimated to be between 17 million – 21 million units. With rapid urbanization and population growth, innovative approaches beyond public sector housing are urgently needed to expand access to adequate and affordable housing. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged as a promising strategy by leveraging the private sector's expertise and financing capacity while harnessing the government's social objectives and convening power. However, stakeholder engagement remains a crucial barrier to implementing successful affordable housing PPPs, as private partners may lack expertise in this model and perceive risks due to unclear regulations.

This randomized field experiment evaluates the impact of tailored training interventions on private construction firms' willingness to participate in affordable housing PPPs in Nigeria. A sample of 360 senior personnel from firms will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group receiving general training on housing trends, a treatment group receiving basic PPP training, and a treatment group receiving comprehensive PPP training, including detailed PPP training for affordable housing and a complete introduction to different PPP project models. Surveys will evaluate willingness to participate and the preferred PPP model before and after the training workshops. Administrative data will also track project enrolment over six months.

The experimental results will provide actionable insights for designing training programs and policy tools to catalyze win-win PPP models that align public and private goals for expanding access to adequate and affordable housing.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ayegba, Shem Ikoojo et al. 2023. "Public-private partnerships for affordable housing: Experimental evidence from Nigeria." AEA RCT Registry. August 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11883-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Treatment 1: Basic PPP training for affordable Housing
Treatment 2: Detailed PPP training for affordable Housing
Control: Emerging Trends in Affordable Housing Delivery
Intervention Start Date
2023-08-04
Intervention End Date
2023-09-02

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Subjects' knowledge about affordable housing and PPP
2. Subjects' willingness to engage themselves in affordable housing PPP projects
3. Subjects preferred PPP models for affordable housing
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Subjects' concerns regarding engaging in PPP projects for affordable housing
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
First, we will email top-level managers in private firms in the construction industry across Nigeria to invite them to attend our training programs. Second, we will collect the list of managers who sign up for our training. Third, we will randomly assign the trainees to three groups. The first group receives a traditional PPP training program with a specific focus on affordable housing; the second group receives both traditional PPP training tailored for affordable housing and a detailed introduction to different modes of PPP (e.g., concession, operate-and-maintain); the third group receives a training program on emerging trends in affordable housing delivery. Before and after the training, each participant will complete a survey questionnaire, which collects his/her personal information, relevant knowledge and experiences of collaboration with the government, and attitudes towards PPP and affordable housing delivery.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in the office by a computer
Randomization Unit
firm level randomization
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
360 individuals who are top-level managers in construction firms
Sample size: planned number of observations
360 individuals who are top-level managers in construction firms
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
120 individuals treatment 1, 120 individuals treatment 2, 120 individuals control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology Human Research Ethics Protocol
IRB Approval Date
2023-07-27
IRB Approval Number
HREP-2023-0264
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials