Entrepreneur Well-Being and Firm Outcomes in Urban Bangladesh

Last registered on May 12, 2020
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Entrepreneur Well-Being and Firm Outcomes in Urban Bangladesh
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0001863
Initial registration date
December 22, 2016

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
December 22, 2016, 4:41 PM EST

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

Last updated
May 12, 2020, 2:12 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Bangladesh
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Paula Lopez-Pena
Affiliation
Queen's University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2016-12-01
End date
2019-05-31
Keywords
Health, Labor
Additional Keywords
Small and Medium Enterprises, Business Training
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This project explores the role of stress and time management strategies adopted by Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) female owners in response to daily “shocks” in explaining profits and growth. To do this, I compare the impact of a stress-management cognitive-behavioural intervention with that of non-directive counselling on well-being, time use, managerial practices and firm outcomes among female entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. I hypothesise that daily hassles associated with both the nature of self-employment and social norms in Bangladesh interfere with entrepreneurial decision making and the adoption of managerial practices by women, and this, in turn, affects firm performance. Because previous research on managerial practices and firm performance has documented gender differences in time use and investment decisions, the cognitive-behavioural arm of the program features priority-setting and time-allocation exercises, as well as problem-solving and relaxation techniques. The project seeks to pinpoint important sources of stress and to provide a window into non-financial barriers to female entrepreneurship and firm growth in Bangladesh.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Lopez-Pena, Paula. 2020. "Entrepreneur Well-Being and Firm Outcomes in Urban Bangladesh." AEA RCT Registry. May 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.1863-5.0
Former Citation
Lopez-Pena, Paula. 2020. "Entrepreneur Well-Being and Firm Outcomes in Urban Bangladesh." AEA RCT Registry. May 12. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/1863/history/68034
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2016-12-04
Intervention End Date
2017-02-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Self-Reported Mental Health, Managerial Practices, Business Outcomes, Time Use
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study will randomly allocate 300 female business owners to receive either a 10 week cognitive-behavioural intervention to build problem-solving, time management and stress coping skills, or the same amount of non-directive counselling. The goal is to establish the relative cost-effectiveness of each of them in the local context.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomisation by computer, done in an office prior to the treatment start
Randomization Unit
Individuals
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
0
Sample size: planned number of observations
300 female business owners
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
150 participants in each experimental arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Warwick, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2016-07-20
IRB Approval Number
125/15-16
IRB Name
Human Subjects Committee for Innovations for Poverty Action IRB-USA
IRB Approval Date
2016-06-15
IRB Approval Number
14178
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
March 01, 2017, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
No
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials