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Experimentation, Learning, and Performance in Entrepreneurial Firms

Last registered on January 15, 2017

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Experimentation, Learning, and Performance in Entrepreneurial Firms
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0001918
Initial registration date
January 15, 2017

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
January 15, 2017, 8:49 PM EST

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Ohio State University

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2017-01-03
End date
2017-05-01
Secondary IDs
Abstract
I investigate the impact of experimentation on performance in early-stage ventures, seeking to identify the venture-level and market-level conditions under which experimentation is most valuable. I propose a novel theoretical framework and test its implications via a field-based randomized controlled trial. The experimental work takes the form of an encouragement design. Partnering with a venture competition, I randomize participants into two training session. While both sessions present a common set of basic entrepreneurship information, the treatment session includes a highly detailed module focused on experimentation. The treatment has the purpose of raising the propensity to experiment. I will then be estimating the impact of experimentation on performance, instrumenting experimentation with the treatment.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Contigiani, Andrea. 2017. "Experimentation, Learning, and Performance in Entrepreneurial Firms." AEA RCT Registry. January 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.1918-1.0
Former Citation
Contigiani, Andrea. 2017. "Experimentation, Learning, and Performance in Entrepreneurial Firms." AEA RCT Registry. January 15. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/1918/history/13142
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2017-01-17
Intervention End Date
2017-01-18

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Performance score in the venture competition.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Encouragement design, similar to Bloom et al (2013, QJE).
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization by computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual participant.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
No clusters.
Sample size: planned number of observations
120 subjects.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
60 subjects per treatment arm.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Pennsylvania Office of Regulatory Affairs
IRB Approval Date
2017-01-13
IRB Approval Number
826363

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