Back to History Current Version

Making the Most of Limited Government Capacity

Last registered on October 07, 2019
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Making the Most of Limited Government Capacity
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004802
Initial registration date
October 06, 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
October 07, 2019, 9:33 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
New York

Primary Investigator

Name
Samuel Kapon
Affiliation
New York University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Sylvain Chassang
PI Affiliation
NYU
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Lucia Del Carpio
PI Affiliation
INSEAD
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2019-10-07
End date
2021-05-31
Keywords
Governance
Additional Keywords
taxes, mechanism design, enforcement, capabilities
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We study how mechanisms that seek to make an optimal use of limited government capacity perform in realistic settings, in which participants need not play according to equilibrium. Our motivating example is that of a tax authority with only limited capacity to perform audits ahead of collection.

The experiment will offer players the opportunity to settle a debt that they owe to a collection authority. The treatments of the experiment will vary the method of collection, settlement offers and information provided to participants about the settlement decisions of others.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Chassang, Sylvain, Lucia Del Carpio and Samuel Kapon. 2019. "Making the Most of Limited Government Capacity." AEA RCT Registry. October 07. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4802-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We vary the method of collection, the information that players receive about others, and discounts for settling early.
Intervention Start Date
2019-10-07
Intervention End Date
2021-05-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The outcomes we are interested in are total amount collected, total number of settlers and the speed of settlement.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will run short sessions (approximately 45 minutes) in which groups play three different treatments. Group sizes will be around 10-15 players.

After running short sessions, we also plan to run longer versions of the experiment. In these longer versions (between 1 day and 1 week), a larger number of players (60-100) will play a single treatment.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done by computer. Some randomization will be done pre-session.
Randomization Unit
Across sessions: randomize order of treatments
Within sessions: random matching of players
Within game: random order of parameter change
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
12 (short) sessions in NYU CESS
3 long sessions
Sample size: planned number of observations
200-700 players
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Each player in the short session plays all 3 treatments, randomly ordered.
3 clusters for large group experiments.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

Documents

Document Name
Theory, Design and Instructions
Document Type
other
Document Description
This document includes the main theoretical predictions, experimental design and a sample of instructions.
File
Theory, Design and Instructions

MD5: 2cd3f8d36264c0bfde774b50fbe2da45

SHA1: 63dae05a36041774025dfd230950dfe7eeb6ffef

Uploaded At: September 30, 2019

IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects
IRB Approval Date
2019-10-19
IRB Approval Number
FY-IRB# 2016-1401
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

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