MBA pipeline: a field experiment

Last registered on August 30, 2019
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
MBA pipeline: a field experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004619
Initial registration date
August 28, 2019

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
August 29, 2019, 8:38 AM EDT

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

Last updated
August 30, 2019, 8:30 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
France
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Lucia Del Carpio
Affiliation
INSEAD
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Zoe Kinias
PI Affiliation
INSEAD
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2019-08-29
End date
2020-04-30
Keywords
Education, Gender
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
While advanced degree programs in Business strive to achieve diversity in their ranks, there is little empirical evidence on how to effectively increase the share of some underrepresented groups who may be self-selecting out. We randomly vary the content of informational emails to potential candidates to highlight the diversity of profiles who pursue a degree as well as the breadth of admissions’ criteria (other than GMAT scores).
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Del Carpio, Lucia and Zoe Kinias. 2019. "MBA pipeline: a field experiment." AEA RCT Registry. August 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4619-2.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2019-08-29
Intervention End Date
2020-02-20

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Indicators for completing and submitting an application, taking and reporting the GMAT, and GMAT scores (where relevant).
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study is a randomized controlled trial implemented in collaboration with a Business School. We look at candidates who start an application for an advanced degree program. From previous cohorts, we know that among those who do not complete their application, there is an overrepresentation of groups underrepresented in the program. The study aims to understand what barriers are precluding these groups from completing and submitting an application.
Candidates who start an application are randomly selected to receive informational emails highlighting different pieces of information:
(i) that the school looks at applications holistically (and doesn’t focus exclusively on GMAT scores); and
(ii) that this is reflected in the diversity of profiles and careers of the students admitted to the program.
The email itself includes pictures from a diverse pool of role models. Candidates can also click on a link and access a webpage, which displays testimonies of the selected alumni together with their photos.
Experimental Design Details
Candidates in the control group receive a shorter email, encouraging them to take the GMAT, and informing them that it is important that they fill out every information requested in the application. To assign treatment, we stratify by gender.
Other relevant outcomes of the study come from a brief survey implemented to all applicants in which we elicit beliefs about class composition, the prestige attributed to an advanced degree in Business and expected class norms.
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
The study is not clustered.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Approximately 5 000
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approximately 1800 treatment (950 women, 850 men), 3500 control (950 women, 2550 men)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
INSEAD IRB
IRB Approval Date
2019-07-18
IRB Approval Number
201909
Analysis Plan

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