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Raskin Welfare Reform: Transition to Electronic Distributions

Last registered on April 02, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Raskin Welfare Reform: Transition to Electronic Distributions
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004675
Initial registration date
September 13, 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
September 17, 2019, 9:43 AM EDT

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

Last updated
April 02, 2021, 9:19 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Indonesia
Region
Southeast Asia

Primary Investigator

Name
Benjamin Olken
Affiliation
MIT
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Rema Hanna
PI Affiliation
Harvard
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PI Name
Abhijit Banerjee
PI Affiliation
MIT
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PI Name
Elan Satriawan
PI Affiliation
TNP2K
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PI Name
Sudarno Sumarto
PI Affiliation
TNP2K
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2017-03-01
End date
2021-12-31
Keywords
Agriculture, Education, Firms & Productivity, Welfare
Additional Keywords
food assistance, voucher, competition
JEL code(s)
H53, I38, O12
Secondary IDs
7200AA19FA00002
Abstract
Raskin is a national program by the Government of Indonesia (GoI) that provides subsidized rice to the poor. It is the largest social assistance program in Indonesia and the first designated to transition from in-kind delivery to electronic distribution. The study aims to test two aspects of this transition: (1) whether the transition to electronic distribution improves program effectiveness and (2) how many electronic distribution agents are needed to provide effective program delivery to beneficiaries. The project is being conducted at the district level and comprises two components, involving a total of 278 districts. The first component is a randomized impact evaluation of the transition to electronic distribution among 105 districts deemed ready for transition in 2018. The second is a randomized control trial in 216 post-transition districts, testing two different sets of criteria for establishing the minimum level of electronic distribution agent coverage available to beneficiaries.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Banerjee, Abhijit et al. 2021. "Raskin Welfare Reform: Transition to Electronic Distributions." AEA RCT Registry. April 02. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4675
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The interventions for the two project components are as follows:
(1) Impact evaluation: Transitioning the delivery of social assistance from in-kind rice assistance (i.e. Raskin) to electronic methods (i.e. BPNT)
(2) Agent ratio experiment: Varying the coverage requirements for electronic distribution agents that banks participating in BPNT delivery are asked to follow
Intervention Start Date
2018-04-01
Intervention End Date
2021-03-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcomes for the two project components are as follows:
(1) Impact evaluation: Total value of subsidy received, quality of rice, food security indicators
(2) Agent ratio experiment: Prices received at agent, quality of rice
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Our outcome data will come from SUSENAS, Indonesia's National Socioeconomic Survey.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
(1) Impact evaluation: We worked with the Government of Indonesia to randomly select districts that would receive BPNT as part of the 2018 rollout. The rollout took place in four phases, with our treatment districts undergoing the transition in phases 2-4.

(2) Agent ratio experiment: We worked with the Government of Indonesia to randomly assign districts that had already transitioned to BPNT (including treatment group districts in the impact evaluation experiment) into two experimental groups of equal size (Group A and Group B). In Group A, the Government of Indonesia is requiring banks to fulfill a stricter set of agent coverage requirements than in Group B.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Computer random number generator
Randomization Unit
District
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
(1) Impact evaluation: 105 districts
(2) Agent ratio experiment: 216 districts
Combined: 278 districts
Sample size: planned number of observations
(1) Impact evaluation: 65,000 households (approx.) (2) Agent ratio experiment: 147,000 households (approx.) Combined: 180,000 households (approx.)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
(1) Impact evaluation: 42 districts BPNT (treatment), 63 districts Raskin (control)
(2) Agent ratio experiment: 108 districts Group A, 108 districts Group B
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
MIT COUHES
IRB Approval Date
2017-02-06
IRB Approval Number
1701819226
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Raskin Transition Program Evaluation Analysis Plan

MD5: 01a6e888d008dec80e13882b66975303

SHA1: 18c940b7ac0767596b3061b8c13cfd8033fdc6a6

Uploaded At: March 20, 2020