Mobility constraints, transport subsidies, and access to apprenticeship in Cote d'Ivoire

Last registered on May 14, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Mobility constraints, transport subsidies, and access to apprenticeship in Cote d'Ivoire
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015967
Initial registration date
May 06, 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
May 14, 2025, 10:23 AM 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
Eva Lestant
Affiliation
Stanford University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Patrick Premand
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Bruno Crepon
PI Affiliation
CREST
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PI Name
Mariana Garcia-Martinez
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Romaric Ekpinda
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-01-01
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Education, Firms & Productivity, Labor
Additional Keywords
Urban Mobility, Rural Roads, Youth Employment, Apprenticeship, Transport Subsidy
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Addressing youth unemployment and underemployment in Africa is crucial for poverty reduction and shared prosperity. Traditional apprenticeships are a key source of skill training for low-skill youths in Africa, and upgrading these systems is a significant policy objective. However, low demand and take-up are common issues in youth training programs. Low demand can be influenced by factors such as financial incentives, gender norms, information, and perceived returns. This study aims to unpack the roles of transport subsidies and dual training in increasing youth demand for apprenticeships during a program scale-up, assessing how these determinants vary by distance to urban centers and between urban and rural youths.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Crepon, Bruno et al. 2025. "Mobility constraints, transport subsidies, and access to apprenticeship in Cote d'Ivoire." AEA RCT Registry. May 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15967-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention involves setting up pre-registration centers in urban and rural areas where youths receive information about the apprenticeship program through videos highlighting different components (transport subsidy, dual training, or both). The study will measure the demand for the program and the impact of these components on youth participation. Finally, we will leverage the variation of distances, availability of means of transportation and cost of trips to the city center for both rural youths in surrounding villages and urban youths to document whether demand and the drivers of youth demand vary by transport cost and other mobility constraints at the youth level. This will shed light on the links between mobility constraints, registration and participation in apprenticeship.
Intervention Start Date
2023-12-31
Intervention End Date
2025-05-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Number of youths pre-registering for the apprenticeship program : 8856
2. Number of youths completing the registration process : +6500
3. Number of firms and open apprenticeship positions listed : 8107
4. Number of firms and open apprenticeships confirmed to train apprentices : +5000
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The main outcomes for youth will be measured through surveys at pre-registration centers, registration data from the implementing agency, and monitoring data on youth participation in the program.
The main outcomes for firms will be measured through surveys conducted at the firms' locations.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study uses a randomized control trial (RCT) design as its main identification strategy. The study is conducted in 24 cities, with 9 cities where the program was already launched and 15 additional cities as part of the scale-up.

Youth

The primary intervention involves showing a video during a mandatory pre-registration phase, which provides information about the program and highlights its various components. There are four treatment arms, each corresponding to a different video:
1. The control video, which presents apprenticeships in general.
2. The first treatment video, which highlights the transportation subsidy.
3. The second treatment video, which emphasizes dual training in vocational centers.
4. The third treatment video, which highlights both the subsidy and the dual training.
In the 24 cities, there are 8 pre-registration centers per city (4 in the city and 4 in surrounding villages), totaling 192 centers. Overall, the study covers 216 pre-registration centers across all participating cities.

Firms

The primary intervention involves showing a video during the listing phase, which provides information about the program and highlights its various components. There are four treatment arms, each corresponding to a different video (same as described above). This listing exercise was conducted in 24 cities.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
The randomization method for the study was conducted using STATA software in an office setting.

Youth

The randomization was performed at the pre-registration center level, with stratification by villages and urban areas. This approach ensured that within each city, each of the four rural and each of the four urban pre-registration centers displayed a different video. Consequently, each video was shown in 24 different pre-registration centers, with two pre-registration centers in each area showing the same video, one in an urban center and the other in a rural center. This method ensured a balanced and systematic distribution of the treatment videos across the study locations.

Firms

The methodology for firms differs slightly. We only consider firms located in urban areas. Using 200×200 meter grids and satellite data, along with previous listings from urban areas in Ivory Coast, we trained an algorithm to generate propensity scores for identifying small and medium firms. We then randomized the squares, stratifying by propensity score range and urban area. This approach ensured that within each city, each video was shown to a different cluster of firms located in squares with varying densities. The method provided a balanced and systematic distribution of treatment videos across study locations.
Randomization Unit
Pre-registration center level and grid square.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Planned number of clusters: 192 pre-registration centers
Sample size: planned number of observations
Planned number of observations: 8500 youth and 8000 firms Planned number of squares to explore: 2500
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
24 pre-registration centers per treatment arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Paris School of Economics IRB
IRB Approval Date
2023-12-11
IRB Approval Number
2023-049
Analysis Plan