Influence, Paternalism, and Gender: Experimental Evidence from India

Last registered on September 28, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Influence, Paternalism, and Gender: Experimental Evidence from India
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015838
Initial registration date
April 21, 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 22, 2025, 12:21 PM EDT

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

Last updated
September 28, 2025, 9:12 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Maria Kogelnik
Affiliation
Yale University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Rohini Pande
PI Affiliation
Yale University
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PI Name
Charity Troyer Moore
PI Affiliation
Ohio State University
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PI Name
Akash Uppal
PI Affiliation
Yale University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2025-02-11
End date
2030-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Gender, Labor
Additional Keywords
Influence, Paternalism, Experiment
JEL code(s)
D91, J16, C93, D63, O12, J22
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Across the globe, significant economic disparities prevail along gender lines. Economists have pointed to a variety of explanations for persistent gender gaps, including economic, cultural, and norms-based forces. Here, we explore the role of gender-based differences in the desire to exert influence over others. In this study, we conduct three incentivized experiments in which subjects have the ability to interfere in and dictate the choice sets and economic outcomes of future male and female participants. Accordingly, we examine the extent to which people interfere in the choices of others, and why, using a field experiment in rural Madhya Pradesh, India.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kogelnik, Maria et al. 2025. "Influence, Paternalism, and Gender: Experimental Evidence from India." AEA RCT Registry. September 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15838-2.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Focusing on rural areas in Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India with conservative gender norms, we conduct three incentivized experiments in which subjects make decisions that may affect their own study earnings as well as those of a future participant. Study participants are informed of the gender of the person whom their decisions could affect, which is randomly assigned and remains constant throughout all study activities. We also ask many unincentivized survey questions, some of which specifically reference the future participant's gender.
Intervention Start Date
2025-02-11
Intervention End Date
2025-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
In our Influence Activity, the primary outcomes of interest are: (i) whether a subject selects Option B in the first round of the activity, corresponding to paying a positive price (INR 40) for the right to decide how much the future participant receives; and (ii) whether a subject’s initial decision is characterized by Influence (that is, they select Option B in Round 1, but in the corresponding round of Part II — Round 5 — select Option A (the equal distribution of INR 160 each).

In our Paternalism Activity, the primary outcomes of interest in each variant are: (i) whether a subject eliminates at least one option from the future participant's choice set; (ii) which option(s) they eliminate; and (iii) whether they report that their decisions are in the future participant's best interest.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Across three incentivized experiments, subjects make choices that may affect a future participant in a nearby village, similarly between the ages of 18 and 55 years old. Beyond this basic information, participants are only informed of their assigned partner's gender -- a crucial element of the experimental design -- made salient through prominent visual aids. We randomly vary whether subjects are paired with a man or a women. This randomization is conducted at the individual level, remains constant through all study activities, and is implemented through software.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Village selection is conducted using STATA in an office computer, and assignment to treatment is conducted using a random number generator operating through SurveyCTO at the start of a survey.
Randomization Unit
The randomization unit is individual.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1,500
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,500
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approximately 750 respondents per treatment arm. That is, roughly half the sample assigned a female future participant, and half assigned a male.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Yale Human Research Projection Program
IRB Approval Date
2025-01-15
IRB Approval Number
2000028865
IRB Name
IFMR Human Subjects Committee
IRB Approval Date
2025-01-23
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

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