The Political Economy of Minimum Wages

Last registered on August 24, 2023

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

The Political Economy of Minimum Wages

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0011921

Initial registration date

August 17, 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 24, 2023, 4:53 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country

United States of America

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Anh Nguyen

Affiliation

UCLA Anderson

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2023-09-01

End date

2023-09-09

Keywords

Behavior, Electoral, Labor

Additional Keywords

experiments, redistribution, policy

JEL code(s)

Field Experiments

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

This study focuses on studying an individual's preferences on minimum wage policies. It will reveal what people think about and what influences their vote when they are to vote for or against a minimum wage bill. I hope to shed some light on the link between an individual's location on the wage distribution and their attitudes towards minimum wages.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Nguyen, Anh. 2023. "The Political Economy of Minimum Wages." AEA RCT Registry. August 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11921-1.0

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention Start Date

2023-09-01

Intervention End Date

2023-09-09

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Outcome variable is 1 if an individual supports an increase in the minimum wage, and 0 if the individual opposes.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

The survey that I am conducting is sent to a sample of more than 1300 individuals. Everyone is asked the same set of questions including demographic questions and questions about minimum wages and low-wage employees. Then a group of individuals will be selected randomly to receive an answer for one of the questions that they are asked previously in the survey. Individuals are again selected randomly to receive a message regarding the effects of an increase in the minimum wage. One group will receive a message with a positive impact, while the other group will receive a message with a negative impact. Control group receives no messages. After that, all respondents are asked another same set of questions including their vote on some minimum wage policies and their expectation on some events that could be brought about by these policies.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization is done by a computer.

Randomization Unit

The sample is randomized at the individual level.

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

1300 individuals

Sample size: planned number of observations

1300 individuals

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

Treatment 1: 650 control (no information provided), 650 treatment (information provided)
Treatment 2 (within each group above): 216 control, 216 positive message, 216 negative message

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB