Intra-household resource allocation measurement validation: Experimental Evidence from India

Last registered on November 25, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Intra-household resource allocation measurement validation: Experimental Evidence from India
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017277
Initial registration date
November 22, 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 25, 2025, 8:14 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
India
Region
Bhopal district, Madhya Pradesh

Primary Investigator

Name
Tillmann Eymess
Affiliation
University of Zurich
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ingvild Almås
PI Affiliation
University of Zurich
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Bet Caeyers
PI Affiliation
Chr. Michelsen Institute
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Charlotte Ringdal
PI Affiliation
Chr. Michelsen Institute
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-11-24
End date
2025-12-20
Keywords
Behavior, Gender
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
D13, I38, J13
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We run a controlled incentivized experiment (“lab experiment”) with 900 households from the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. With the data from the lab experiment, we will compare a hypothetical survey instrument on household resource allocation preferences to an incentivized version of the same instrument and study differences between mothers, fathers and couples in preferences for household resource allocation.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Almås, Ingvild et al. 2025. "Intra-household resource allocation measurement validation: Experimental Evidence from India." AEA RCT Registry. November 25. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17277-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We introduce treatment variation by varying whether the resource allocation task in our experiment is completed in a hypothetical version or an incentivized version. When the task is incentivized, participants are asked to spend the endowment of INR 1,000, as per the resource allocation pattern that they had previously chosen (the first allocation decision), at a pop-up shop where a variety of low-, medium-, and high-value goods are offered in each of the three different categories (that is, goods for men, goods for women and goods for young children. When the task is hypothetical, participants do not visit the pop-up shop and receive neither cash nor goods.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2025-11-24
Intervention End Date
2025-12-20

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Resource allocation to the child.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
As primary outcome, we analyze the share of the total endowment a participant allocates to the child in the first phase of the resource allocation task.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Resource allocation to different spending categories for the child. Resource allocation to mother and father.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
As secondary outcomes, we analyze the share of the total endowment spend in the different spending categories for the child in phase 2 of the task and we analyze the share of the endowment spent on mother and father in the first phase.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We run a household resource allocation task in which participants (either the mother or the father) divide an endowment of 1,000 Indian Rupees (INR, approx. USD 11) between themselves, their spouse, and their youngest child below the age of 5. The task is explicitly framed in terms of using the endowment to purchase goods that fit into the three different categories, i.e., (i) typical goods for men, (ii) typical goods for women, and (iii) typical goods for young children. This is the first phase of the task.

In a second phase of the resource allocation task, participants are asked to divide each allocation into spending categories:
- The amount allocated to men across five sub-categories: clothes, food, entertainment, health and wellness products, technical equipment
- The amount allocated to women across five sub-categories: clothes, food, entertainment, health and wellness products, technical equipment
- The amount allocated to children into six sub-categories: clothes, shoes, food, toys, learning materials, health and wellness products
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
After participant recruitment, we randomize whether the experimental task is played hypothetically or with incentives. The randomization is done through a random draw by a tablet computer through surveyCTO which has a 50% of assignment to the hypothetical task and a 50% chance of assignment to the incentivized task.
Randomization Unit
Individual participant
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
900 households
Sample size: planned number of observations
900 primary caregivers of at least one child below the age of 5
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
450 individuals
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
The minimum detectable effect size for the validation of the instrument is 0.187.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
OEC Human Subjects Committee
IRB Approval Date
2025-09-23
IRB Approval Number
OEC IRB # 2025-092
IRB Name
IFMR Human Subjects Committee
IRB Approval Date
2025-11-20
IRB Approval Number
IFMR IRB-IEIC-1025-8
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