State Reform and Women’s Land Rights in Punjab, Pakistan

Last registered on June 15, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
State Reform and Women’s Land Rights in Punjab, Pakistan
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017564
Initial registration date
June 05, 2026

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
June 15, 2026, 9:56 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Farah Said
Affiliation
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ali Cheema
PI Affiliation
Lahore University of Management Sciences
PI Name
Sarah Khan
PI Affiliation
American University
PI Name
Kate Vyborny
PI Affiliation
World Bank

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-06-01
End date
2028-12-31
Keywords
Gender
Additional Keywords
Land rights, information intervention
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In rural Pakistan, women are legally entitled to inherit agricultural land but are frequently excluded from exercising these rights due to social norms, information constraints, and procedural barriers. While recent land-record digitization reforms increased women’s likelihood of being recorded as heirs, most female heirs remain joint co-owners without individually demarcated parcels. The Government of Punjab seeks to address this gap by supporting voluntary land partition and conducting government-led information sessions.

Using a randomized controlled trial in Punjab, Pakistan,this study evaluates whether targeted outreach can improve women’s awareness, engagement, and participation in the land-partitioning process.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Cheema, Ali et al. 2026. "State Reform and Women’s Land Rights in Punjab, Pakistan." AEA RCT Registry. June 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17564-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention Start Date
2026-06-15
Intervention End Date
2026-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Completion or advancement of land-partition cases. We anticipate a follow up survey and we will add an update to this registry with survey based outcomes when we do this survey.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conduct a randomized controlled trial within the Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement (PULSE) program in rural Punjab, Pakistan. The study experimentally varies access to:
- Early or late initiation of standard government community information activities.
- Targeted household outreach that provides information on women’s land rights and the voluntary land-partitioning process.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is conducted using Stata.
Randomization Unit
This is a multi-level randomized study. In the first stage, administrative units (patwar circles) are assigned to early and late rollout groups. In the second stage, villages within early-rollout patwar circles are randomized to different information outreach modalities. Randomization is stratified by tehsil. Second-stage treatment assignment occurs at the village level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
248 Patwar Circles (first level of randomization) & 365 Revenue Villages (Mauzas)
Sample size: planned number of observations
Approximately 3750 women across treatment and control groups. Final sample sizes may vary due to administrative eligibility and tracking success.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
625 women in each of the two treatments and 1250 in 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
Lahore University of Management Sciences Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2025-06-27
IRB Approval Number
LUMS-IRB0326/06272025/FS-FWA-00030383
Analysis Plan