Optimizing for Scale: Economic Inclusion for Urban Youth in Cameroon

Last registered on April 04, 2025
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Optimizing for Scale: Economic Inclusion for Urban Youth in Cameroon
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015726
Initial registration date
April 02, 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
April 04, 2025, 12:58 PM EDT

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

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Antoine Deeb
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Patrick Premand
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Adrien Ciret
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Ioana Botea
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Guylaine Nouwoue
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2025-02-10
End date
2028-01-01
Keywords
Finance & Microfinance, Firms & Productivity, Labor, Welfare
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study will research how to optimize an economic inclusion intervention for vulnerable urban youth, with the objective of informing scale-up by government agencies in Cameroon and beyond. First, it will assess the effectiveness of a multi-faceted package for improving urban youth employment, earnings, savings, and investment in income-generating activities. Second, it will assess the characteristics of frontline providers (trainers/coaches) that affect quality of program delivery and have the highest value-added on youth outcomes. Third, it will test the optimal design of a multi-faceted intervention package, including by documenting the marginal impacts and joint effects of key components such as (i) digital savings promotion, (ii) cash grants in one or two installments, (iii) high-touch or light-touch coaching and (iv) enhanced market linkages through mentoring by successful micro-entrepreneurs.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Botea, Ioana et al. 2025. "Optimizing for Scale: Economic Inclusion for Urban Youth in Cameroon." AEA RCT Registry. April 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15726-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2025-03-01
Intervention End Date
2026-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
In phase 1, a small set of key outcomes will be prioritized for measurement, and the focus will be the individual applicant’s savings, investments and development of micro-enterprise activities (see first 3 rows of attached table). In phase 2, a broader set of outcomes will be measured, including information related to the applicant’s employment, earnings (from enterprises, wage employment, and other sources of income), psychosocial well-being
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The treatment arms in phase one will be:

Treatment Arm 1: Beneficiaries in this treatment arm will receive a productive cash grant of $500 in one installment, a digital savings account accompanied by nudges to promote take-up, group coaching and training that combines basic micro-entrepreneurship skills with life skills.

Treatment Arm 2: Beneficiaries in this treatment arm will receive a productive cash grant of $500 in one installment, group coaching and training that combines basic micro-entrepreneurship skills with life skills.

Treatment Arm 3: Beneficiaries in this treatment arm will receive a productive cash grant of $500 in two installments, a digital savings account accompanied by nudges to promote take-up, group coaching and training that combines basic micro-entrepreneurship skills with life skills.

Treatment Arm 4: Beneficiaries in this treatment arm will receive a productive cash grant of $500 in two installments, group coaching and training that combines basic micro-entrepreneurship skills with life skills.

The treatment arms in phase two will be:

Treatment Arm 1: Beneficiaries in this treatment arm will receive a productive cash grant of $500 in the number of installments that was found to be most effective in phase one, a digital savings account accompanied by nudges (if found effective in phase 1), and skills training. Beneficiaries in this group will also receive high-touch coaching, where groups will frequently meet with their coach after the initial training for follow-ups and feedback. Finally, beneficiaries in this group will be paired with a role model to provide additional mentorship and support.

Treatment Arm 2: Beneficiaries in this treatment arm will receive a productive cash grant of $500 in the amount of installments that was found to be most effective in phase one, a digital savings account accompanied by nudges (if found effective in phase 1), and training. Beneficiaries in this group will also receive high touch coaching, where groups will frequently meet with their coach after the initial training for follow-ups and feedback.

Treatment Arm 3: Beneficiaries in this treatment arm will receive a productive cash grant of $500 in the amount of installments that was found to be most effective in phase one, a digital savings account accompanied by nudges (if found effective in phase 1), and training. Beneficiaries in this group will also receive light touch coaching, where groups will only meet a few times with their coach after the initial training is completed. Finally, beneficiaries in this group will also be paired with a role model to provide additional mentorship and support.

Treatment Arm 4: Beneficiaries in this treatment arm will receive a productive cash grant of $500 in the amount of installments that was found to be most effective in phase one, and a digital savings account accompanied by nudges (if found effective in phase 1), and training. Beneficiaries in this group will also receive light touch coaching, where groups will only meet a few times with their coach after the initial training is completed.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
7500
Sample size: planned number of observations
7500
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1500
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
HML IRB
IRB Approval Date
2024-06-06
IRB Approval Number
2581
Analysis Plan