Abstract
**See OSF page and registration for full and most up-to-date details: https://osf.io/9zury/**
In collaboration with IPA Philippines, we are testing variations of aspiration interventions delivered through videos and group discussions and evaluating their impacts on economic, psychological, and social outcomes in a cluster-randomized controlled trial.
Poverty is multidimensional, with economic constraints often accompanied by a range of challenges stemming from social exclusion and limited access to information and opportunities (Park et al., 2025; Sheehy-Skeffington, 2020). As a result of these challenges, people in poverty may be less likely to have high aspirations for their future, a sense of agency over their fate, or the social support needed to make progress (Dalton et al., 2016; Hoff & Walsh, 2018). These are psychosocial assets that influence not only well-being but also economic potential (Bossuroy et al., 2022; Chetty et al., 2022; Haushofer & Salicath, 2023). Recent research suggests aspirations interventions may provide cost-effective tools for enhancing individuals’ economic outcomes (Bossuroy et al., 2022; Orkin et al., 2020; Thomas et al., 2024). However, further exploration is needed to determine which types of aspiration programs are most effective in achieving impact at scale and how these programs influence both individual psychosocial and economic well-being, as well as societally relevant outcomes.
This 4-arm cluster randomized controlled trial is conducted with approximately 7,600 women in low-income, rural areas of the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. We are evaluating three variations of single-session aspiration interventions (videos + workshops) (T1-T3) against a pure control. These interventions will be delivered through three distinct arms:
Personal Aspirations (T1): The first variation models the pursuit of personal aspirations through a short scripted film about a role model named Hiraya, followed by a guided small group discussion on visualizing one’s future, setting goals, connecting aspirations to independent values, and identifying personal resources for goal pursuit.
Personal and Relational Aspirations (T2): The second variation focuses on both personal and relational aspirations using a short scripted film about a role model named Hiraya and her community, followed by a guided small group discussion on visualizing one’s own and one’s family’s future, setting goals, connecting aspirations to independent and interdependent values, and identifying personal and social resources for goal pursuit.
Personal, Relational, and Community Aspirations (T3): The third variation includes the small group workshops implemented in T2 plus adds a community-wide film viewing of the Hiraya film and discussion on aspirations and values among participants, their family and friends, and other influential members of the barangay.
These interventions are designed to empower participants through goal setting and laying out pathways towards achieving these goals while overcoming setbacks through self and/or collective efficacy. T1 is designed to build disjoint agency and hope and T2-T3 to build conjoint agency and hope (Markus & Kitayama, 2003). Each intervention is designed to be low-cost and scalable. Primary outcomes of interest are individuals’ and households’ economic mobility, psychological well-being, and social well-being. We will also measure the impacts of the intervention on economic attitudes and behaviors related to inclusive growth, such as attitudes toward redistribution and inequality and prosocial behaviors.