The economics of reliability in Accra, Ghana

Last registered on January 10, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The economics of reliability in Accra, Ghana
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004886
Initial registration date
October 21, 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 22, 2019, 11:15 AM EDT

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

Last updated
January 10, 2023, 9:54 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
Ghana
Region
Accra

Primary Investigator

Name
Susanna Berkouwer
Affiliation
University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Catherine Wolfram
PI Affiliation
University of California at Berkeley
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Steven Puller
PI Affiliation
Texas A&M University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2019-11-01
End date
2023-12-31
Keywords
Environment & Energy, Firms & Productivity, Governance
Additional Keywords
Development
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In urban areas of Ghana, more than 90% of households are already connected to the electric grid. In these settings, the primary issue is the reliability of the grid rather than the lack of access to electricity. Since 2012, persistent power failures in Ghana have negatively affected its economy and given rise to the term “Dumsor,” meaning “lights off-on” in the local Akan language. According to the 2013 World Bank Enterprise Surveys, 61.2% of firms in Ghana see electricity reliability as a major constraint, with firms reporting an average of over 700 hours of outages annually, compared to 1.5 hours for firms in the U.S. We deploy the GridWatch technology and exploit experimental and quasi-random variation in power quality across Accra to understand the costs, benefits, and socio-economic impacts of power quality improvements.
External Link(s)
Energy Institute blog post

Registration Citation

Citation
Berkouwer, Susanna, Steven Puller and Catherine Wolfram. 2023. "The economics of reliability in Accra, Ghana." AEA RCT Registry. January 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4886-1.2
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2020-02-01
Intervention End Date
2021-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
- Firm productivity measures
- Household well-being measures
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
A combination of:
- Random variation
- Spatial discontinuity design
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
TBD
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
TBD
Sample size: planned number of observations
5000 households and firms.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
TBD
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of California at Berkeley
IRB Approval Date
2018-05-30
IRB Approval Number
CPHS 2017-12-10599
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