Anti-discrimination E-learning Training for the Inclusion of Migrants: A Field Study with Public Officials in Ecuador

Last registered on August 06, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Anti-discrimination E-learning Training for the Inclusion of Migrants: A Field Study with Public Officials in Ecuador
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014077
Initial registration date
July 26, 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
August 06, 2024, 10:51 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Enrique Fatas
Affiliation
Universidad Europea de Valencia
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Lina Maria Restrepo-Plaza
PI Affiliation
Universidad Europea de Valencia
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PI Name
Paulius Yamin
PI Affiliation
Paris Institute for Advanced Study
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PI Name
Ana Maria Rojas-Menendez
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Luis Artavia-Mora
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-05-04
End date
2024-12-15
Keywords
Behavior, Gender, Governance
Additional Keywords
discrimination, migrants, civil servants, beliefs-based discrimination, preference-based discrimination, systemic discrimination, online learning, social norms
JEL code(s)
D01 D04 D91 O12 O15
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We evaluate the impact and effectiveness of an anti-discrimination e-learning course offered to civil servants in Ecuador. The training initiative aims to overcome discriminatory behavioral biases towards Venezuelan migrant users. The course is built using behavioral sciences principles to raise awareness of the prevalence and intensity of discriminatory practices. The overall goal is to promote the inclusion of migrants by removing behavioral and structural barriers to basic social services in different domains. Civil servants are recruited from the largest government departments or Ministries (Health, Education, Economic and Social Inclusion, Labor, and Government- Police) in collaboration with their human talent teams and the World Bank. The evaluation follows a differences-in-differences approach testing attitudes and behavior of civil servants randomly assigned to a Control and a Treated condition. The only difference between one condition and the other is the time when civil servants take the course (before or after the final survey experiment). We evaluate the attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, preferences, and perceptions of civil servants towards migrants.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Artavia-Mora, Luis et al. 2024. "Anti-discrimination E-learning Training for the Inclusion of Migrants: A Field Study with Public Officials in Ecuador ." AEA RCT Registry. August 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14077-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
An anti-discrimination e-learning course is offered to civil servants working in five ministries or departments in Ecuador. The training initiative is built using behavioral sciences principles to raise awareness of the prevalence and intensity of discriminatory practices. Civil servants are recruited from large government departments or Ministries (Health, Education, Economic and Social Inclusion, Labor, and Government- Police) in collaboration with their human talent teams. The evaluation follows a differences-in-differences approach testing attitudes and behavior of civil servants randomly assigned to a Control and a Treated condition. Randomization is run at the individual level, keeping sex and age balanced across ministries and conditions.
Intervention Start Date
2024-08-19
Intervention End Date
2024-09-19

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Treatment effects on: relative mistrust in migrants versus other reference groups, beliefs-based, preference-based, and systemic discrimination of migrants, access to services, discrimination visibility in other domains, and heterogeneity effects (by gender, age, education of civil servants)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The impact evaluation of the e-learning course employs a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences (DID) methodology using two surveys (baseline and final). The first survey collects data before the intervention starts. The final survey is taken by the Treated group when they have finished the online training and is taken by the Control group before taking the online course. By comparing differences in attitudes and behavior between the Baseline Survey and the Final survey across the Control and the Treated groups, we assess the intervention impact.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done using a computer program to assign participants into two groups with similar characteristics (age, sex, and department/ministry).
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Treatments are not clustered, but we collect data from five ministries (Health, Education, Economic and Social Inclusion, Labor, and Government- Police).
Sample size: planned number of observations
2900 civil servants
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1450 per treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Comisión de Investigación de la Escuela de Doctorado e Investigación de la Universidad Europea
IRB Approval Date
2024-06-13
IRB Approval Number
2024'751
Analysis Plan