Improve truth-telling in blockchain consensus

Last registered on March 05, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Improve truth-telling in blockchain consensus
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017989
Initial registration date
February 24, 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
March 05, 2026, 6:08 AM EST

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
Zhengyang Bao
Affiliation
Monash University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
RUIZE SUN
PI Affiliation
MONASH
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PI Name
LATA GANGADHARAN
PI Affiliation
MONASH
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PI Name
EVGENY LYANDRES
PI Affiliation
Monash
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-04-01
End date
2027-04-01
Keywords
Behavior, Finance & Microfinance
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We will conduct a lab experiment to evaluate interventions that leverage blockchain features to promote truth-telling. The interventions are a collateral requirement (high/low), and whether the report sent by participants is randomized to flip before entering the poll.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bao, Zhengyang et al. 2026. "Improve truth-telling in blockchain consensus." AEA RCT Registry. March 05. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17989-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-04-01
Intervention End Date
2027-04-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The truthfulness of participants' reports and whether the consensus is the same as the state of the world that participants observe.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Each participant reports the state of the world. Although they have an incentive to misreport, our treatment interventions attenuate this incentive.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experiment follows a 2-by-2 between-subjects design. Participants have an incentive to misreport in the baseline. Each treatment dimension represents an intervention to reduce the incentive to lie. By randomizing whether participants receive these interventions, we expect that lying is less frequent with the interventions than in the baseline.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Randomization is at the individual level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
200 participants.
Sample size: planned number of observations
200 participants.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
50 participants low collateral no randomization (baseline); 50 participants high collateral no randomization; 50 participants low collateral randomization; 50 participants high collateral randomization.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2026-10-07
IRB Approval Number
49305
Analysis Plan