Asymmetric Information, Relational Contracts and Prices

Last registered on March 12, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Asymmetric Information, Relational Contracts and Prices
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0012787
Initial registration date
January 12, 2024

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
January 12, 2024, 3:44 PM EST

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

Last updated
March 12, 2024, 10:29 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Farah Said
Affiliation
Lahore University of Management Sciences
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Omar Hayat Gondal
PI Affiliation
Washington University in St. Louis
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PI Name
Sher Afghan Asad
PI Affiliation
Lahore University of Management Sciences
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-10-01
End date
2025-06-30
Keywords
Agriculture
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This is a pilot field experiment with an expected sample of 2100 potato farmers in Punjab, Pakistan, to investigate the role that dynamic price information and output market linkages play in improving the economic return to small farm-holdings. Our treatment consists of updated wholesale market price information and a digital directory of wholesale auctioneers. The intervention will be provided as a bundle consisting of a mobile phone application, a call center support service, and an SMS system.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Asad, Sher Afghan, Omar Hayat Gondal and Farah Said. 2024. "Asymmetric Information, Relational Contracts and Prices." AEA RCT Registry. March 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12787-2.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2024-01-22
Intervention End Date
2024-07-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Change in product price, sales, and network of farmers
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Our intervention is information disseminated via a bundle containing a mobile application, a call center support service, and an SMS system. Two types of information are provided to potato farmers in one district of Punjab, Pakistan: information on (i) historical and current prices and (ii) buyers dealing with potatoes in wholesale markets. In one sub-sample, we also randomly vary the information potential buyers have about treated farmers. We test if this information allows farmers to make better bargains (prices and revenue) for their produce at harvest time. We also explore how the intervention changes the network of buyers for the farmer.

We will implement a cluster randomized control trial, with potato farmers in treated villages receiving the interventions. The intervention will be provided near harvest, with follow-up activities capturing data on actual sales.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Village
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
116 villages
Sample size: planned number of observations
2100 farmers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approximatley 15-20 farmers per village
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Institutional Review Board, Lahore University of Management Sciences
IRB Approval Date
2023-02-28
IRB Approval Number
LUMS-IRB/02282023/SAA-FWA-00030383
Analysis Plan

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