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Field
Abstract
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Before
Youth unemployment remains a significant challenge in developing countries. Digital bootcamps have emerged as a potential solution, offering intensive, short-term training in advanced digital skills. However, their effectiveness is largely untested. This paper aims to investigate the causal impacts of the Jóvenes Bicentenario program in Peru, which provided free digital skills bootcamps to disadvantaged young individuals. To do so, we utilize an individual-level randomized controlled trial, which was embedded during the applications to the program.
To assess the short-term impacts of the program, we will use government administrative records merged with our experimental sample. Specifically, we will use the Planilla Electrónica (PE), the Peruvian matched employer-employee dataset. The PE is a document that all formal firms in Peru with more than two workers are required to submit. Access to information from the PE is restricted and has been granted with express authorization from the MTPE to identify the short-term impact of Jóvenes Bicentario on formal employment indicators.
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After
Youth unemployment remains a significant challenge in developing countries. Digital bootcamps have emerged as a potential solution, offering intensive, short-term training in advanced digital skills. However, their effectiveness is largely untested. This paper aims to investigate the causal impacts of the Jóvenes Bicentenario program in Peru, which provided free digital skills bootcamps to disadvantaged young individuals. To do so, we utilize an individual-level randomized controlled trial, which was embedded during the applications to the program.
To assess the impacts of the program, we will use government administrative records merged with our experimental sample. Specifically, we will use the Planilla Electrónica (PE), the Peruvian matched employer-employee dataset. The PE is a document that all formal firms in Peru with more than two workers are required to submit. Access to information from the PE is restricted and has been granted with express authorization from the MTPE to identify the impact of Jóvenes Bicentario on formal employment indicators.
However, given the high prevalence of informality in the Peruvian labor market, analyses based solely on these records risk missing informal employment effects and broader livelihood impacts. Furthermore, as administrative data, the PE dataset provides no information on participant experiences of the Jóvenes Bicentario bootcamp, such as satisfaction with the program or perceived value. Therefore, to complement the administrative records, we conducted a phone survey roughly two years after the end of the treatment period. This survey measured participants’ employment, education, and program perceptions.
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Secondary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
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After
In the follow-up phone survey, we are interested in the following key outcome variables: studying status, studying computer-related courses, current work status, having more than one job, self-employed work, dependent work, formal work, informal work, freelance work, total monthly labor income, work that allows flexible hours/working from home, working in a programming or data occupation, using advanced digital skills in work.
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Secondary Outcomes (Explanation)
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Before
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After
Studying computer-related courses: computer-related studying refers to either studying computer science, computer engineering, or AI and big data at a university, or studying a programming/data analysis course at a non-university higher education institution.
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