Effect of UCTs on Child Labor in Cocoa: Evidence from Ghana

Last registered on October 03, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Effect of UCTs on Child Labor in Cocoa: Evidence from Ghana
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016927
Initial registration date
October 01, 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
October 03, 2025, 10:44 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Ghana
Region
Ashanti
Country
Ghana
Region
Eastern

Primary Investigator

Name
Jan Averkin
Affiliation
ETH Zürich
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Isabel Günther
PI Affiliation
ETH Zürich
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Edward Asiedu
PI Affiliation
University of Ghana
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-10-15
End date
2025-12-19
Keywords
Agriculture, Finance & Microfinance, Labor
Additional Keywords
Child labor
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
This randomized controlled trial evaluates the impact of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) on child labor in Ghana's cocoa sector. We provide lump-sum payments to cocoa-farming households at the start of the peak harvest season (November), when child labor demand is highest. Using a cluster-randomized design with 1,184 households across 60 villages in the Ashanti and Eastern regions, we measure child labor outcomes using 7-day recall periods based on Ghana's Hazardous Activity Framework. The intervention timing allows us to capture immediate substitution effects when policy intervention is most critical. Unlike previous studies that combine cash transfers with other interventions or occur during atypical periods, this design isolates the effect of UCTs during peak agricultural labor demand. The study addresses a critical evidence gap on the effectiveness of UCTs in cocoa-producing regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, where child labor prevalence remains high despite various intervention efforts. Primary outcomes include binary indicators of hazardous child labor in cocoa-specific and general farm work, with analysis exploring heterogeneous effects by gender, wealth, and household cocoa dependency.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Asiedu, Edward , Jan Averkin and Isabel Günther. 2025. "Effect of UCTs on Child Labor in Cocoa: Evidence from Ghana." AEA RCT Registry. October 03. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16927-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2025-10-29
Intervention End Date
2025-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Whether a child, aged between 9 and 17, has been involved in hazardous and non-hazardous child labor in the past 7 days. A distinction is made between child labor on cocoa farming activities specifically, as well as on other farm and non-farm activities.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We apply a clustered RCT, where 60 schools are randomly assigned to a treatment group (receiving unconditional cash transfers) or a control group, stratified at the regional level (Ashanti or Eastern). Half are selected from four districts in the Eastern region (Abwakwa South, Ayensuano, Suhum, West Akim) and the other half from two districts in the Ashanti region (Asante Akim Central and Asante Akim South). The villages are randomly selected from cocoa-growing communities in which, to our knowledge, no programs are actively present to combat child labor and improve education. In each village of our sample, we target households with at least one child at the end of grades 5-6 (approximately aged 13 years old) who are, according to the literature, most at risk of transitioning into child labor and forgoing formal education to overcome financial challenges.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization has been done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Villages were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups, with randomization clustered at the regional level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
60 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
1184 children and their respective caregivers.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
60 schools
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials