Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families

Last registered on December 10, 2019
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005152
Initial registration date
December 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
December 10, 2019, 9:16 AM EST

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Charles Michalopoulos
Affiliation
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Karin Martinson
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2020-01-02
End date
2024-09-30
Keywords
Education, Health, Labor
Additional Keywords
Job placement, employment services, supported employment, drug treatment
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families (BEES) project will study up to 21 innovative programs aimed at improving employment outcomes, advances in the labor market, and economic security for low-income individuals and families. Selection of these programs (or “sites”) for inclusion in the BEES project is currently underway. Program services to be evaluated could include employment and training services such as job search assistance, job readiness services, vocational education, and coaching; employment barrier removal services such as those targeting substance use disorder and mental health; and other services aimed at promoting and supporting employment and economic security. Randomized control trial designs will be prioritized where an impact study is appropriate and possible. Any impact study will be accompanied by a corresponding implementation study, which will describe the program and contextualize the impact results. For programs of interest that are not appropriate for an impact study, BEES will pursue an implementation-only study. In total, the research team expects to enroll 12,400 individuals across multiple programs. Among the programs where an impact study will be conducted, the research team anticipates sample sizes of 800 to 1000 at each program.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Martinson, Karin and Charles Michalopoulos. 2019. "Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families ." AEA RCT Registry. December 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5152-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2020-03-01
Intervention End Date
2022-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
For all BEES sites, outcome variables will include measures related to employment and earnings. Additional outcome variables will vary depending on the program and nature of the intervention. These could include measures related to health, public assistance, Medicaid enrollment and health care receipt, and criminal justice involvement.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Measures will be constructed using data collected through a follow-up survey administered after study enrollment, and from administrative records. Types of administrative records could include data from the National Directory of New Hires (for outcomes related to employment and earnings), local TANF and SNAP agencies (for outcomes related to public benefits receipt), criminal justice agencies (for outcomes related to criminal justice involvement), and Medicaid claims data.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
At each BEES site where an impact study is feasible, there will be one treatment group and one control group. The treatment group will be offered services through the BEES site in which they enroll. Specific services offered to the treatment group will vary depending on the site they enroll in though will likely include employment and training services such as job search assistance, job readiness services, vocational education, and coaching. Other services may include employment barrier removal services such as those targeting substance use disorder and mental health. The control group will not be offered services through the respective BEES site, though members can access other services and supports available in the community.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done through a web-based MDRC system, which will be accessed electronically by staff at each BEES site.
Randomization Unit
The randomization unit may vary depending on the BEES sites. For most sites, individual-level randomization will be used. At some sites, where program slots are limited, the randomization unit will be a group of individuals.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
The planned number of clusters will vary by site. One example is randomization by location within a single BEES site.
Sample size: planned number of observations
The sample size will vary by BEES site, likely within a range of 800-1000 individuals per site.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
At each site, individuals will be split about evenly between the treatment group and 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
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan