Intergroup Integration Through Local Markets: Evidence from an RCT

Last registered on November 14, 2025
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Intergroup Integration Through Local Markets: Evidence from an RCT
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017177
Initial registration date
November 04, 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
November 14, 2025, 5:10 PM EST

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

Locations

Country
Nigeria
Region
Africa

Primary Investigator

Name
Miguel Ortiz
Affiliation
University of British Columbia
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2025-10-20
End date
2026-02-07
Keywords
Behavior, Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Welfare
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study evaluates whether incentivizing intergroup market participation can reduce ethno-
religious segregation and improve intergroup relations in Jos, Nigeria. Christian participants who
typically avoid Muslim markets due to perceived security risks are randomly assigned to receive
weekly financial incentives to visit a Muslim market over four weeks, with minimum spending and
time requirements; a control group receives an equivalent unconditional transfer. The intervention
aims to correct misperceptions about safety and market quality and to assess whether increased ex-
posure leads to sustained out-group market visits once incentives end. Primary outcomes include
market choice behavior, beliefs about safety and product price/quality, and incentivized measures of
trust, cooperation, altruism, and reciprocity toward Muslim counterparts. Secondary outcomes ex-
amine changes in perceptions of Muslims as business and social partners. This trial provides causal
evidence on whether local markets can serve as durable platforms for intergroup integration and
economic efficiency.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ortiz, Miguel. 2025. "Intergroup Integration Through Local Markets: Evidence from an RCT." AEA RCT Registry. November 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17177-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
The intervention consist of offering the treatment group financial incentives to visit the market of the outgroup.
Intervention Start Date
2025-11-03
Intervention End Date
2025-11-29

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Market of choice
Perception on safety, prices, quality of products and variety of products of different markets
Behavioral measures on intergroup relations: altruism, trust, cooperation, reciprocity.
Likert-scale questions on business relationships and personal relationships with the outgroup
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
None of the main outcomes listed above are constructed. If an index of outcomes is constructed, it will be a standard index: that is, where the outcomes in the index are standardized, added, and divided by the number of outcomes in the index.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will randomly assign financial incentives to visit the market of the outgroup.
Experimental Design Details
The sample will consists of citizens of Jos, Nigeria, that are the person in charge of buying groceries in their household. Enumerators will visit multiple neighborhoods in the city and knock on doors to recruit people in the households. At that moment, if the person agrees to participate in the project, enumerators do the start the baseline survey right there. After all baseline surveys are done, when the team reaches 500 participants, the randomization will take place. To do this, each participant will be assign a random number from 0 to 1, drawn from a uniform distribution by a computer. The 250 participants with the lowest assigned random numbers will be assigned to the control group. The rest of the participants will be assigned to the treatment group.
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer. After all baseline surveys are done, when the team of enumerators reaches 500 surveys, the randomization will take place. To do this, each participant will be assign a random number from 0 to 1, drawn from a uniform distribution by a computer. The 250 participants with the lowest assigned random numbers will be assigned to the control group. The rest of the participants will be assigned to the treatment group.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
500
Sample size: planned number of observations
500
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
UC Berkeley
IRB Approval Date
2024-03-13
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

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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