Reintegrating Internally Displaced Persons, Veterans and Women in the post-Invasion Labor Market in Ukraine

Last registered on October 07, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Reintegrating Internally Displaced Persons, Veterans and Women in the post-Invasion Labor Market in Ukraine
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019842
Initial registration date
September 30, 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
October 07, 2026, 10:20 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
Kathryn Vasilaky
Affiliation
California Polytechnic State U
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Michelle Brock
PI Affiliation
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
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PI Name
Margaryta Klymak
PI Affiliation
King’s College London
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PI Name
Michelle Brock
PI Affiliation
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Margaryta Klymak
PI Affiliation
King’s College London
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-10-20
End date
2027-08-31
Keywords
Behavior, Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Labor, Post-conflict, Welfare
Additional Keywords
Labor Markets; Social Inclusion / Welfare; Gender; War, Ukraine, Conflict & Violence
JEL code(s)
J15 (economics of minorities/migrants); J64 (unemployment: search); D91 (role of identity); Z13 (social norms and identity); O15 (human resources, migration)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Ukraine hosts Europe’s largest internally displaced population since WWII (≈3.8 million IDPs), most having moved from predominantly Russian-speaking eastern regions to Ukrainian- or mixed-language host communities. Displacement raises job-search costs by severing local networks and by introducing sociolinguistic and cultural frictions in labor markets newly governed by language laws. This randomized controlled trial tests two scalable, low-cost interventions and their combination for improving the labor-market reintegration of working-age IDPs in two regions, Lviv and Kharkiv. Approximately 2,300 IDPs and veterans are individually randomized to four arms: (1) sociolinguistic training (n≈250); (2) job-search and job-match training (n≈250); (3) both trainings (n≈250); and (4) a control group (remaining ≈1,550). A baseline survey precedes randomization, training sessions per arm, and an endline survey. The primary endpoint is a proximal reintegration, job-search activity, and belonging/acceptance.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Brock, Michelle et al. 2026. "Reintegrating Internally Displaced Persons, Veterans and Women in the post-Invasion Labor Market in Ukraine." AEA RCT Registry. October 07. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19842-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Treated participants receive one of three packages, each delivered over eight online sessions. (1) Sociolinguistic training: covering workplace communication, Ukrainian-language fluency and cultural fit, and confidence in public/professional speech. (2) Job search and job match: covering development of professional profiles, networking and employer linkages that open referral channels, reveal demanded skills, and support job search. (3) Both: the combined package (two cycles / sixteen sessions). The control group receives no services during the study period and is referred to free language classes after the endline.
Intervention Start Date
2027-03-01
Intervention End Date
2027-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
• Reintegration Index: standardized composite of (1) count of new professional contacts, (2) whether there has been job-search activity (a submitted application), and (3) subjective feeling of belonging and confidence communicating professionally.
• New professional contacts (co-primary): new job-relevant ties outside the pre-existing network.
• Job-search activity (co-primary): submitted ≥1 job application since training.
• Belonging / feels accepted (co-primary): perceived acceptance and confidence communicating professionally.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The primary confirmatory test is pooled treatment vs. control on the proximal Reintegration Index. Each arm is also compared to control, and the three components are co-primary. Multiple hypothesis testing is controlled for by applying the Romano-Wolf correction to p-values, within pre-specified families (see the analysis plan). Additional economic outcomes and all mechanisms/heterogeneity are secondary or exploratory.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
• Secondary economic outcomes: an Economic Index (employment, earnings, job quality), plus near-term labor steps (interview/offer receipt) — reported, but likely underpowered over this horizon.
• Network detail beyond the headline contact count: type of tie (job vs. social) and whether ties yielded interviews/offers.
• Other mechanisms: sociolinguistic/identity salience, cultural-linguistic knowledge, aspirations, job-search effort, social empowerment.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
The secondary economic outcomes are the longer-run impacts that a full RCT would be powered to detect; the measures listed under “Other mechanisms” support interpretation of impacts on the primary outcomes. All secondary outcomes are exploratory; see the Pre-Analysis Plan.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Individually randomized four-arm trial among working-age (18-45) IDPs drawn from a sampling frame of registered and unregistered IDPs in two regions (Lviv and Kharkiv).
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done by computer (by the survey partner, or by the PIs using participant IDs and stratification variables supplied by the survey partner), using a fixed random seed that is logged.
Randomization Unit
Individual participant.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
Baseline ≈ 2,300 individuals; endline ≈ 1,300 individuals (≈225 in each treated arm and ≈625 in control, across Lviv and Kharkiv regions).
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Sociolinguistic training only ≈ 250; job-search and job-match training only ≈ 250; both ≈ 250; control ≈ 1,550.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
NA
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2026-06-09
IRB Approval Number
2026-159
Analysis Plan

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