Complementarities and interoperability in platform markets: Evidence from mobile banking in Pakistan

Last registered on March 31, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Complementarities and interoperability in platform markets: Evidence from mobile banking in Pakistan
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013042
Initial registration date
February 24, 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
March 06, 2024, 3:26 PM EST

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

Last updated
March 31, 2024, 4:09 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Pakistan
Region
Punjab

Primary Investigator

Name
Mark Walsh
Affiliation
Stanford University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-03-04
End date
2026-03-01
Keywords
Finance & Microfinance, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
interoperability, competition, market power, peer effects, social learning, digital finance, mobile banking; complementarities, social networks
JEL code(s)
O14, O16, O17, O33, D83, G20, L14, L15, L81
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Platform markets are often dominated by a few large firms. In this project, I measure the contribution of peer effects and interoperability to these high levels of market concentration. By experimentally varying respondent's perceptions of the interoperability and peer adoption of mobile money platforms (MMPs), an important technology in low- and middle-income countries, I estimate their influence on adoption of, communication about, and preferences over dominant and competitor platforms. This experiment will allow me to parse the relative importance of social learning, complementarities between peers from on-platform interactions, and complementarities between peers from other factors such as social image concerns/mimicry/conformity. My results should inform policymakers seeking to spur adoption of or increase competition in platform industries.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Walsh, Mark. 2024. "Complementarities and interoperability in platform markets: Evidence from mobile banking in Pakistan." AEA RCT Registry. March 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13042-1.1
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Two informational treatments:
1. Information about interoperability between mobile money platforms in Pakistan
2. Information about peer adoption of mobile money platforms
Intervention Start Date
2024-03-04
Intervention End Date
2024-04-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Respondent's preferences over mobile money providers; Respondent's communication with peers
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Respondent's preferences over mobile money providers: Measured willingness-to-pay to register an account for a given mobile money provider (MMP), intention to use MMP, intention to register with MMP, registration with MMP, choice of being compensated through transfer to MMP, and choice of pamphlet with info on how to register with MMP.

Respondent's communication with peers: Measured with choices on whether to share information on how to register with MMP with a close friend and an acquaintance.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
I will cross-randomize the two treatments at the respondent-level.

- 25% receive Information about interoperability between mobile money platforms in Pakistan and Information about peer adoption of mobile money platforms
- 25% receive Information about interoperability between mobile money platforms in Pakistan only
- 25% receive the Information about peer adoption of mobile money platforms only
- 25% receive neither
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done by computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
450
Sample size: planned number of observations
450
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
112 or 113
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
I estimate that I will be able to detect a MDE of .43 standard deviations in my primary outcomes with 90% power and .37 with 80% power. I use standard deviations as my unit since I do not have data to estimate the likely variance of my outcomes.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Stanford Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2022-11-14
IRB Approval Number
65703
Analysis Plan

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