Platform-Based Labor Contracts and the Diffusion of Electric Vehicles in Nairobi's Taxi Industry

Last registered on October 19, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Platform-Based Labor Contracts and the Diffusion of Electric Vehicles in Nairobi's Taxi Industry
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014462
Initial registration date
October 18, 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
October 19, 2024, 9:48 PM 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
Narae Lee
Affiliation
World Bank Group
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Hee Kwon Seo
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
David Sungho Park
PI Affiliation
KDI School of Public Policy and Management
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PI Name
Yoomin Lee
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Joshua Merfeld
PI Affiliation
KDI School of Public Policy and Management
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PI Name
Chungeun Yoon
PI Affiliation
KDI School of Public Policy and Management
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-09-19
End date
2025-02-28
Keywords
Environment & Energy, Labor
Additional Keywords
Transport, Urban
JEL code(s)
J41, O18, Q51
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study evaluates whether labor contracts combined with rider-and-driver matching platforms can improve the business viability, safety, and scalability of EV adoption into taxi industry. The study also assesses the comparative effectiveness of these labor contracts against other kinds of incentives. Our objective is to empirically validate contemporary discussions regarding the cost competitiveness of EVs in real-world contexts and to investigate how platform-based labor contracts can assist drivers in overcoming financial, liquidity, and behavioral barriers to EV adoption.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Lee, Yoomin et al. 2024. "Platform-Based Labor Contracts and the Diffusion of Electric Vehicles in Nairobi's Taxi Industry." AEA RCT Registry. October 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14462-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
A start up company's guaranteed salary program
Intervention Start Date
2024-09-19
Intervention End Date
2024-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
labor hours, earnings, fuel usage
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
environmental and social welfare estimates, driving safety
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
For the initial experiment, we recruit taxi drivers and randomly assign them to either a treatment group (utilizing an EV-based platform for taxi driver hiring) or a control group to track labor, energy, driving, and other outcomes over several weeks. Subsequently, we conduct a second study examining changes in the intervention and their consequences for drivers and businesses.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is conducted in the office using computer coding, with the driver list from the baseline survey data.
Randomization Unit
Individual driver
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
50 and 420 drivers
Sample size: planned number of observations
GPS data: millions, Survey data: Approx. 40,000 high frequency responses
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
25 treated, 27 control and then 420 phase-in treatment changes
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
0.14 to 0.39
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
KDI School Institutional Review Board for Human Subject Research
IRB Approval Date
2024-07-26
IRB Approval Number
2024-23
Analysis Plan