AEA RCT Registry

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Impact Evaluation of the Productive Social Safety Nets and Youth Unemployment Project in Sierra Leone

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0015335

Initial registration date

February 04, 2025

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

February 05, 2025, 9:24 AM EST

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

Benedetta Lerva

Affiliation

World Bank

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Gianmarco Leon Ciliotta

PI Affiliation

Universitat Pompeu Fabra

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PI Name

Mahreen Khan

PI Affiliation

Oxford University

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Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2025-02-23

End date

2027-09-30

Keywords

Agriculture, Firms & Productivity, Labor

Additional Keywords

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

This impact evaluation consists of one randomized experimental study to evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of the Productive Social Safety Nets and Youth Employment (PSSNYE), a project of the Government of Sierra Leone, implemented by the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) with support from International Development Association (IDA). The experiment will assess the comparative impacts of cash transfers and poverty graduation packages, with the aim to identify the optimal bundle of interventions to lift economically disadvantaged populations out of poverty.
The experiment investigates how cash transfer and poverty graduation programs affect household resilience in terms of food security, consumption, assets and savings, and income diversification. First, the experiment evaluates the impacts and cost effectiveness of each program individually; second, the experiment layers the poverty graduation program on the cash transfer intervention to measure the complementarity between the two.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Khan, Mahreen, Gianmarco Leon Ciliotta and Benedetta Lerva. 2025. "Impact Evaluation of the Productive Social Safety Nets and Youth Unemployment Project in Sierra Leone." AEA RCT Registry. February 05. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15335-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

This impact evaluation consists of one randomized experimental study to evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of the Productive Social Safety Nets and Youth Employment (PSSNYE), a project of the Government of Sierra Leone, implemented by the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) with support from International Development Association (IDA). The experiment will assess the comparative impacts of cash transfers and poverty graduation packages, with the aim to identify the optimal bundle of interventions to lift economically disadvantaged populations out of poverty.

Intervention Start Date

2025-04-21

Intervention End Date

2026-04-21

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Food security and consumption, income and income diversification, assets, savings, skills, employment, entrepreneurship

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

The four experimental groups of 100 villages each are assigned to one of four conditions as follows: the first group receives nothing (T1), the second group receives monthly cash transfers of $15 per month (T2), the third receives a graduation package composed of a business grant and a skills training (T3), and the fourth receives both monthly cash transfers and the graduation package (T4). Randomization is carried out at the village level.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

randomization done in office by a computer

Randomization Unit

enumeration area

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

400 enumeration areas

Sample size: planned number of observations

8,000 households

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

100 enumeration areas and 2,000 households per treatment arm, four treatment arms in total

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

We calculate statistical power using a clustered randomization method to determine minimum sample sizes. Assuming an intra-cluster correlation of 0.05 and 80% statistical power, the minimum detectable effect will be 0.124 standard deviations (Based on a power calculation for a number of clusters (EAs) of 100 per treatment arm, with 20 beneficiary households included in each cluster).

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name

Institutional Committee for Ethical Review of Projects (CIREP) at Universitat Pompeu Fabra

IRB Approval Date

2024-09-05

IRB Approval Number

355

Analysis Plan