Prevalence of informal payment among enterprises

Last registered on October 28, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Prevalence of informal payment among enterprises
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014668
Initial registration date
October 27, 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 28, 2024, 1:42 PM EDT

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

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Primary Investigator

Name
Truong Pham
Affiliation
HU
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-06-26
End date
2025-06-20
Keywords
Behavior, Finance & Microfinance, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We examine the prevalence of informal payments made by enterprises when obtaining permits from authorities. Two types of informal payments are analyzed: (i) payments requested by authorities and (ii) voluntary payments made by enterprises. This study uses a list experiment conducted with a sample of 1,600 enterprises in the northern provinces of Vietnam.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Pham, Truong. 2024. "Prevalence of informal payment among enterprises ." AEA RCT Registry. October 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14668-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
• Control group: 4 control items
• Treatment group 1: 4 control items + 1 sensitive item (be requested informal payment)
• Treatment group 2: 4 control items + 1 sensitive item (make informal payment)
• Treatment group 3: 4 control items + 1 sensitive item (make informal payment in response to requests)
Intervention Start Date
2024-08-20
Intervention End Date
2025-06-20

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Proportion of enterprises engaging in bribery
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The sample is randomly divided into four groups. The control group receives four neutral items. Treatment Group 1 receives the same four neutral items plus one sensitive item indicating a request for an informal payment. Treatment Group 2 receives the four neutral items plus a sensitive item indicating that the enterprise made an informal payment. Treatment Group 3 receives the four neutral items along with a sensitive item indicating that the enterprise made an informal payment in response to a request. By comparing the average number of items each treatment group agrees with to the average for the control group, we estimate the proportion of enterprises engaging in bribery.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is done by Qualtrics
Randomization Unit
Enterprise level
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
0
Sample size: planned number of observations
1600
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
• Control group: 400
• Treatment group 1: 400
• Treatment group 2: 400
• Treatment group 3: 400
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima Universiry
IRB Approval Date
2024-06-25
IRB Approval Number
HR-HUM-001825
Analysis Plan