Reaching food insecure households: testing targeting tools in Sierra Leone

Last registered on March 05, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Reaching food insecure households: testing targeting tools in Sierra Leone
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018020
Initial registration date
March 01, 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, 8:50 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
Sierra Leone
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Quentin Stoeffler
Affiliation
University of Bordeaux
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Suneha Seetahul
PI Affiliation
University of Sydney
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PI Name
Frederica Medonça
PI Affiliation
NOVA School of Business and Economics
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PI Name
Asha Williams
PI Affiliation
The World Bank
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-03-02
End date
2027-03-31
Keywords
Governance, Other, Welfare
Additional Keywords
Social protection; targeting
JEL code(s)
O1
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Social protection programs in Sierra Leone aim at supporting poor households, but current targeting tools often leave out food insecure households. Partnering with the government of Sierra Leone, we test various tools for better including food insecure households. Specifically, we test proxy-means testing and CBT instruments designed at selecting food insecure households, and compare these with the traditional PMT used by the government.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Medonça, Frederica et al. 2026. "Reaching food insecure households: testing targeting tools in Sierra Leone." AEA RCT Registry. March 05. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18020-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention consist in a simulation of targeting in 120 villages in which NaCSA operates.
Intervention Start Date
2026-03-03
Intervention End Date
2026-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
- targeting accuracy
- targeting legitimacy
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
For targeting accuracy, we will compute the following indicators:
- per capita consumption and food security (Food Consumption Score) of selected beneficiaries
- targeting error rates (households incorrectly excluded / total number of households, harmonizing selection and welfare thresholds)
- simulations of poverty and food insecurity reduction

For targeting legitimacy, we will ask a series of questions related to:
- respondent's preferences over one or another method
- respondent's satisfaction related to the targeting process
- respondent's satisfaction related to the targeting outcome

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We will consider targeting's accuracy based on additional welfare indicators (e.g. multidimensional poverty, poverty self-assessment, etc.).
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will cross-randomize two targeting treatment: targeting aim (poverty vs food security) and targeting method (PMT vs CBT).
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization on a computer.
Randomization Unit
Villages are cross-randomized.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
120 villages
Sample size: planned number of observations
1200 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Clusters are split equally in treatment arms (60 villages in each treatment arm).
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
HML IRB
IRB Approval Date
2026-03-01
IRB Approval Number
3309
Analysis Plan