Public or Private? Job Preferences Among Students in Côte d’Ivoire

Last registered on April 13, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Public or Private? Job Preferences Among Students in Côte d’Ivoire
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018236
Initial registration date
March 28, 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
April 13, 2026, 9:09 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Côte d'Ivoire
Region
Abidjan

Primary Investigator

Name
Anderson Edoh
Affiliation
ENSEA
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Aboya Remi
PI Affiliation
ENSEA
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Meango Romuald
PI Affiliation
University of Oxford
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2026-03-03
End date
2026-03-31
Keywords
Education, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
In Côte d’Ivoire, as in many developing countries, young graduates from elite schools face a choice between joining the public sector, perceived as a source of stability and social prestige, and turning to the private sector, which is associated with economic dynamism but often with greater insecurity. This study aims to analyze the preferences of high-achieving Ivorian students between public- and private-sector job offers by assessing the value they place on job attributes. We also tested these students’ beliefs by randomly assigning, through an RCT, the results of a similar study conducted in 2024. The questionnaire was administered to students at ENSEA, INPHB, and ESATIC in lecture halls where students had been specifically gathered for the occasion.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Edoh, Anderson, Aboya Remi and Meango Romuald. 2026. "Public or Private? Job Preferences Among Students in Côte d’Ivoire." AEA RCT Registry. April 13. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18236-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention consists of randomly presenting, through a short synthesized video, the results of the previous study. It also provides information on opportunities, promotion prospects, dismissal risks, and the advantages and disadvantages specific to each sector.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2026-03-03
Intervention End Date
2026-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
- Stated sector preference
- Sensitivity to attributes
risk, and promotion probability.
- Willingness to accept (WTA)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
- Stated sector preference: probability of choosing the public sector in choice
scenarios, transformed into log-odds.
- Sensitivity to attributes: coefficients for salary, working hours, dismissal
risk, and promotion probability.
- Willingness to accept (WTA): wage compensation required to accept a
deterioration in a non-wage attribute,

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
- Stated ranking of sector preferences.
- Belief updating after the information treatment.
- Preference heterogeneity by gender and education level.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The intervention consists of randomly presenting, through a short synthesized video, the results of the previous study. It also provides information on opportunities, promotion prospects, dismissal risks, and the advantages and disadvantages specific to each sector.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
We used KoboToolbox as our data collection tool. This platform not only enables digital survey administration but also allows the integration of randomization mechanisms directly within the questionnaire. The randomization procedure is automatically implemented upon the first opening of the questionnaire by the enumerator. Specifically, a random draw is generated by the computer following a binomial distribution with probability 𝑝=0.5
X∼B(1,0.5)
Thus, each respondent has an equal probability (50%) of being assigned to either group (treatment or control). This mechanism ensures random and independent assignment of participants, thereby supporting the internal validity of the study.
Randomization Unit
Students
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
3
Sample size: planned number of observations
At least 300
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Half of students will receive the treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Economics (Econ) DREC
IRB Approval Date
2026-03-13
IRB Approval Number
Economics (Econ) DREC - 2966029
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