Beyond training - managers

Last registered on June 29, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Beyond training - managers
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019014
Initial registration date
June 25, 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 29, 2026, 9:15 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
Mikko Silliman
Affiliation
Aalto University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Alexander Willen
PI Affiliation
Norwegian School of Economics
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-07-06
End date
2026-08-28
Keywords
Firms & Productivity, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study how the level of competitiveness in labor markets influences investments firms make in training using a vignette experiment. Managers are randomly assigned a vignette describing the level of competition in a hypothetical labor market and asked how they perceive and how they would pursue worker training in that environment.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Silliman, Mikko and Alexander Willen. 2026. "Beyond training - managers." AEA RCT Registry. June 29. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19014-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Managers are randomly assigned a vignette describing the level of competition in a hypothetical labor market and asked how they perceive and how they would pursue training opportunities in that environment. We specify whether the competition is in the labor or product market.
Intervention Start Date
2026-07-06
Intervention End Date
2026-08-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Our main outcome is the extent that managers believe that their workers’ ability to do their job will improve with each year they are exposed to the work environment described in the vignette.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Apart from understanding how managers perceive the extent of worker learning in different types of labor markets, we want to know how managers think their workers will learn (via formal trainings or via informal learning), what types of skills they will invest in (basic or higher order), and why (whether they think skills will be transferrable).

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Managers are randomly exposed to one of four vignettes describing the level of competition in a labor market. Two vignettes center on labor market competition and two vignettes center on product market competition.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
By a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individuals -- managers.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1000 managers.
Sample size: planned number of observations
1000 managers.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 managers in the competitive labor market condition, 250 in the competitive product market condition; 250 in the monopsonistic labor market condition and 250 in the monopsonistic product market condition.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Norwegian School of Economics
IRB Approval Date
2026-06-18
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan