Promoting Rural Entrepreneurship through Personal Initiative: Experimental Evidence on Businesses and Households in Rural South India

Last registered on November 15, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Promoting Rural Entrepreneurship through Personal Initiative: Experimental Evidence on Businesses and Households in Rural South India
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013390
Initial registration date
November 06, 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
November 15, 2024, 1:35 PM EST

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

Locations

Country
India
Region
Tamil Nadu

Primary Investigator

Name
Sofia Amaral
Affiliation
World Bank, South Asia Gender Innovation Lab
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Raisa Sherif
PI Affiliation
Max Plank Institutre
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PI Name
Isis Gaddis
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Alreena Pinto
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Jayati Sethi
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Shirleen Manzur
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-10-10
End date
2025-08-31
Keywords
Firms & Productivity, Gender
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In many developing countries, women-owned businesses face distinct challenges compared to those owned by men. This study examines the differential role of soft skills in the performance of female and male-owned businesses, as well as its impact on household decisions. To analyze changes in soft skills, we utilize a gender-stratified randomized controlled trial involving 2,545 rural entrepreneurs from the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Half of the sample was randomly assigned to a personal initiative training program. We aim to test the impacts of the intervention on the entrepreneurs*'* soft skills, financial access*,* and business growth*. Since the functioning of businesses of women is more likely to be intertwined with their household dynamics*, we will also estimate the indirect impact of the intervention on the spouses of the entrepreneurs, as well as other household investments and decisions.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Amaral, Sofia et al. 2024. "Promoting Rural Entrepreneurship through Personal Initiative: Experimental Evidence on Businesses and Households in Rural South India." AEA RCT Registry. November 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13390-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Partner

Name
Tamil Nadu Rural Reconstruction Program
Type
government
URL
https://old.tnrtp.org/
Name
Doorways
Type
ngo
URL
https://www.doorwaysva.org/
Name
Hand in Hand India
Type
ngo
URL
https://hihindia.org/
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We implement a personal initiative training. The intervention was delivered over the course of 12 weeks in groups.
Intervention Start Date
2024-02-01
Intervention End Date
2024-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
A. Entrepreneurial mindset skills: Business practice score, entrepreneurial self-efficacy
B. Personal skills: grit, confidence, locus of control, personal initiative
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
A. Business Performance: Profits, Sales
B. Financial Access Index
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We randomly assigned 2,558 entrepreneurs to either a treatment group or a control. The randomization was done stratified by gender and mode of recruitment. We recruited participants from a sample of entrepreneurs registered in World Bank operations, and we also recruited participants from local markets.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual level
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
2,558 assuming 0 attrition between baseline and endline. We expect a sample of 2,558 spouses assuming 0 attrition between baseline and endline and a 100% response rate from spouses.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1,300
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
DAI Research & Advisory Services
IRB Approval Date
2023-10-31
IRB Approval Number
IRB00012768
Analysis Plan