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Evaluation of the Impact of the Introduction of Electronic Point of Sale (ePOS) Machines in the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Jharkhand

Last registered on December 20, 2018
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Evaluation of the Impact of the Introduction of Electronic Point of Sale (ePOS) Machines in the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Jharkhand
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0001620
Initial registration date
April 14, 2017

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 15, 2017, 1:09 PM EDT

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

Last updated
December 20, 2018, 3:01 PM EST

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

Locations

Country
India
Region
Jharkhand

Primary Investigator

Name
Sandip Sukhtankar
Affiliation
University of Virginia
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Paul Niehaus
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Karthik Muralidharan
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2016-06-20
End date
2019-07-31
Keywords
Governance
Additional Keywords
Food Security
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
How does biometric authentication impact the delivery of in-kind social programs? To contribute to the evidence base on this question we are conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the rollout of biometric authentication in the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the Indian state of Jharkhand. The PDS functions as a means of combating food insecurity by providing subsidized food (rice, wheat, sugar) and non-food items (kerosene) to households monthly through government-assigned "Fair Price Shops" (FPS). However, the PDS is plagued with leakages and plugging leakage is one of the top priorities of the government. One potential way to plug leakages is via electronic Point-of-Service (ePOS) machines that can be used to biometrically authenticate and electronically record transactions that take place at the FPS. The Government of Jharkhand is in the process of rolling out ePOS machines in the state and has agreed to randomize the rollout.

This study aims to evaluate the impact of the government’s deployment of ePOS machines on the value delivered to eligible benefi ciaries, costs of delivery, and leakage, through a standard Randomized Control Trial (RCT) design, using data collected from multiple rounds of surveys in 10 districts of Jharkhand. The study also aims to inform policy decisions since results garnered will provide useful insight into operational difficulties and will have nation-wide policy applications, since most states are expected to switch to this system in the near future.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Muralidharan, Karthik, Paul Niehaus and Sandip Sukhtankar. 2018. "Evaluation of the Impact of the Introduction of Electronic Point of Sale (ePOS) Machines in the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Jharkhand." AEA RCT Registry. December 20. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.1620-6.1
Former Citation
Muralidharan, Karthik, Paul Niehaus and Sandip Sukhtankar. 2018. "Evaluation of the Impact of the Introduction of Electronic Point of Sale (ePOS) Machines in the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Jharkhand." AEA RCT Registry. December 20. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/1620/history/196277
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention involves the introduction of an ePOS machine in PDS shops in order to authenticate the identity of beneficiaries receiving subsidized staple foods and commodities, as well as to electronically record transactions of these commodities. The intervention is being implemented by the Government of Jharkhand.
Intervention (Hidden)
None
Intervention Start Date
2016-09-01
Intervention End Date
2017-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Value delivered to eligible bene ficiaries (V), costs of delivery (C), and leakage (L). Please see Pre-Analysis Plan for details and secondary outcomes.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study aims to evaluate the impact of the government’s deployment of ePOS machines through a stratified Randomized Control Trial (RCT) design, using data collected from multiple rounds of surveys in 10 districts of Jharkhand. Please see Pre-Analysis Plan for details.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization was done by a computer based on a coded algorithm; please see Pre-Analysis Plan for details.
Randomization Unit
Block
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
132 blocks
Sample size: planned number of observations
3960 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
87 blocks treatment, 45 blocks control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Institute for Financial Management and Research
IRB Approval Date
2016-06-04
IRB Approval Number
IRB00007107
IRB Name
University of Virginia
IRB Approval Date
2016-06-14
IRB Approval Number
2016­0222­00
IRB Name
University of California at San Diego
IRB Approval Date
2016-07-25
IRB Approval Number
160866SX
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Pre-Analysis Plan for Impact of Reconciliation Intervention

MD5: 7bd3417cbe6d6f28f1936614240fd5e5

SHA1: e96d78fbc851ca8364cde8b8a7d2394e1fe04b26

Uploaded At: April 26, 2018

Pre-Analysis Plan

MD5: 13081a41e9620f79d298c3d9cfe549b0

SHA1: df3a3eb3dffd2d2a71d6263bcb27c611e94e4723

Uploaded At: April 17, 2017

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
November 30, 2017, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
November 30, 2018, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
132 blocks; 87 treatment, 45 control
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
132 blocks; 3960 households
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
87 treatment blocks, 45 control blocks
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
Yes
Public Data URL
https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/YEKB95

Program Files

Program Files
Yes
Program Files URL
https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/YEKB95
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Abstract
We study the impact of reforms that introduced more stringent, biometric ID requirements
into India's largest social protection program, using large-scale randomized and natural experiments.
Corruption fell but with substantial costs to legitimate beneficiaries, 1.5-2 million of whom lost
access to benefits at some point during the reforms. At the same time, adverse effects appear
to have been driven primarily by decisions about the way the transition was managed, illustrating
both the risks of rapid reforms, and how the impacts of promising new technologies can be highly
sensitive to the protocols governing their use.
Citation
Muralidharan, Karthik, Paul Niehaus, and Sandip Sukhtankar. "Identity verification standards in welfare programs: Experimental evidence from India." Review of Economics and Statistics (2023): 1-46.
URL
https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article/doi/10.1162/rest_a_01296/114767/Identity-Verification-Standards-in-Welfare

Reports & Other Materials