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Breaking Barriers San Diego

Last registered on September 10, 2019
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Breaking Barriers San Diego
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004686
Initial registration date
September 09, 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 10, 2019, 9:03 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Charles Michalopoulos
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Megan Millenky
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2016-01-25
End date
2021-12-31
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
Job placement, employment services, supported employment
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This analysis, part of a broader study called Building Evidence on Employment Strategies (BEES), is an extension of the Breaking Barriers San Diego evaluation. Breaking Barriers is a San Diego-based program that provided employment services to low-income individuals with a range of disabilities and conditions, using the Individual Placement and Support approach. The program operated in four locations in San Diego county from January 2016 through June 2018. MDRC used a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the program. Between January 2016 and early November 2017, individuals eligible for and interested in receiving Breaking Barriers services were assigned at random to a treatment group, which was offered Breaking Barriers services, or to a control group, which was referred to other publicly available supports. A total of 1,061 individuals enrolled in the study. The initial analysis used data collected through a 15-month follow-up survey administered to the study sample. The main outcomes to be measured as part of the study extension include number of quarters employed and total earnings in the two years following random assignment.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Michalopoulos, Charles and Megan Millenky. 2019. "Breaking Barriers San Diego." AEA RCT Registry. September 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4686-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2016-01-25
Intervention End Date
2018-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Primary outcome variables include the number of quarters employment and total earnings in the two years following random assignment. Secondary outcome variables include a composite measure that includes the benefit amounts received from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the two-year follow-up period.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Measures will be constructed using administrative records such as unemployment insurance data (from the National Directory of New Hires), for outcomes related to employment and earnings, and county-level TANF and SNAP records (from the CalWIN consortium), for outcomes related to public benefits receipt.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study includes one treatment group and one control group. The treatment group was offered services through Breaking Barriers, including career counseling, job search assistance, personalized benefits counseling, supportive services, and follow-along services. The control group was not offered Breaking Barriers services, though members had access to other publicly available supports.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization was done by a web-based MDRC system, which was accessed electronically by Breaking Barriers program staff.
Randomization Unit
Individual.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1,061 individuals.
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,061 individuals.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
There are 528 individuals in the treatment group, and 533 individuals in the control 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
MDRC
IRB Approval Date
2015-09-18
IRB Approval Number
788337
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