Promoting Social Inclusion of the Extreme Poor in Colombia

Last registered on May 24, 2017
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Promoting Social Inclusion of the Extreme Poor in Colombia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0001976
Initial registration date
May 24, 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
May 24, 2017, 4:30 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Colombia
Region
South America

Primary Investigator

Name
Orazio Attanasio
Affiliation
UCL & IFS
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
George Stoye
PI Affiliation
University College London; Institute for Fiscal Studies
PI Name
Pedro Carneiro
PI Affiliation
University College London; Institute for Fiscal Studies
PI Name
Kai Barron
PI Affiliation
University College London
PI Name
Laura Abramovsky
PI Affiliation
University College London; Institute for Fiscal Studies
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2009-11-01
End date
2011-12-31
Keywords
Finance & Microfinance, Labor
Additional Keywords
Social Exclusion, Social Protection, Colombia, Extreme Poverty, Labor Supply, Randomized Control Trial
JEL code(s)
J08, I38, C93
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We evaluate the large scale pilot of an innovative and major welfare intervention in Colombia, which combines homes visits by trained social workers to households in extreme poverty with preferential access to social programs. We use a randomized control trial and a very rich dataset collected as part of the evaluation to identify program impacts on the knowledge and take-up of social programs and the labor supply of targeted households. We find no consistent impact of the program on these outcomes, possibly because the way the pilot was implemented resulted in very light treatment in terms of home visits. Importantly, administrative data indicates that the program has been rolled out nationally in a very similar fashion, suggesting that this major national program is likely to fail in making a significant contribution to reducing extreme poverty. We suggest that the program should undergo substantial reforms, which in turn should be evaluated.
External Link(s)
J-PAL Summary Page

Registration Citation

Citation
Abramovsky, Laura et al. 2017. "Promoting Social Inclusion of the Extreme Poor in Colombia." AEA RCT Registry. May 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.1976-1.0
Former Citation
Abramovsky, Laura et al. 2017. "Promoting Social Inclusion of the Extreme Poor in Colombia." AEA RCT Registry. May 24. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/1976/history/17978
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2009-11-01
Intervention End Date
2011-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Conditional cash transfer program take-up, Expanded knowledge of existing social programs, Labor market outcomes, Welfare improvements, Health improvements, Financial inclusion, Housing conditions
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Labor market outcomes are measured through participation rate, employment rate (and type of employment), unemployment rate, hours worked, employment earnings and tenure; Health improvements are measured by nutrition and growth, vaccination take-up, and use of health services.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The evaluation employed an experimental design to ensure that individuals in treatment and control groups were comparable along observable and unobservable dimensions. Random assignment to treatment and control groups followed a structured process. First, the population of eligible families within participating municipalities were identified in early 2008. Second, each participating municipality was divided into several neighborhoods, or 'barrios'. Third, between September 2008 and April 2009, each neighborhood was randomly assigned to one of four groups or cohorts. The program was rolled out to cohorts sequentially, so that the treatment began at different times across different neighborhoods. Given random assignment to cohorts, prior to the roll-out of the program the characteristics of households across neighborhoods should be identical on average.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
By computer
Randomization Unit
Neighborhoods
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1280 neighborhoods
Sample size: planned number of observations
5918 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
551 neighborhoods in the control group control
534 neighborhoods in the classic treatment group
195 neighborhoods in the intensive treatment group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
December 31, 2011, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
August 31, 2011, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
392 neighborhoods
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
2,446 households; 5,042 individuals
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Abstract
Citation
Laura Abramovsky, George Stoye, Orazio Attanasio, Kai Barron, and Pedro Carneiro. "Challenges to Promoting Social Inclusion of the Extreme Poor: Evidence from a Large-Scale Experiment in Colombia," Economía: Spring 2016.
URL
https://www.brookings.edu/book/economia/
Abstract
Citation
Abramovsky, Laura, Orazio Attanasio, Kai Barron, Pedro Carneiro, and George Stoye. "Challenges to Promoting Social Inclusion of the Extreme Poor: Evidence from a Large Scale Experiment in Colombia." IFS Working Paper W14/33, November 2014.
URL
https://www.povertyactionlab.org/sites/default/files/publications/959_Challenges%20to%20social%20inclusion_Orazio_Oct2015.pdf

Reports & Other Materials