Evaluating Alternative Cash Transfer Designs in Kenya Using Behavioral Economics

Last registered on August 26, 2022

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Evaluating Alternative Cash Transfer Designs in Kenya Using Behavioral Economics

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0000541

Initial registration date

November 05, 2014

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

November 05, 2014, 2:57 AM EST

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

Last updated

August 26, 2022, 9:39 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Kenya

Region

Siaya County

Primary Investigator

Name

Paul Niehaus

Affiliation

UC San Diego

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Anandi Mani

PI Affiliation

University of Warwick

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Sendhil Mullainathan

PI Affiliation

Harvard University

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PI Name

Anuj Shah

PI Affiliation

University of Chicago

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Additional Trial Information

Status

Completed

Start date

2014-11-10

End date

2016-04-30

Keywords

Welfare

Additional Keywords

Cash transfer

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

This study aims to draw on insights from behavioral economics to conduct a rigorous impact evaluation of alternative unconditional cash transfer designs in Kenya. The study's implementing partner, GiveDirectly, which provides unconditional cash transfers to poor households in rural Kenya, will be experimentally varying several features of these transfers. One area of focus will be the timing of transfers, where GiveDirectly will vary the structure and schedule of transfer payments, as well as recipients' control over these timing aspects. A second area of focus will be the role of social information and norms, varying the amount and kind of information recipients receive about assets purchased by their peers. This study will exploit the variation across these different designs to quantify impacts on 1) household-level socio-economic outcomes (income, assets, etc.), 2) measures of well-being (food security, intra-household discord/conflict, various psychosocial scales), and 3) recipients' decision-making process and cognitive ability.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Mani, Anandi et al. 2022. "Evaluating Alternative Cash Transfer Designs in Kenya Using Behavioral Economics." AEA RCT Registry. August 26. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.541-2.1

Former Citation

Mani, Anandi et al. 2022. "Evaluating Alternative Cash Transfer Designs in Kenya Using Behavioral Economics." AEA RCT Registry. August 26. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/541/history/154319

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

All households in this study will receive an unconditional cash transfer totaling around $1000 USD from GiveDirectly. The structure and timing of these transfers, as well as the information provided to recipients, will be randomized at the household level.

Intervention (Hidden)

Intervention Start Date

2014-11-10

Intervention End Date

2016-03-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Key outcome variables include 1) household-level socio-economic outcomes (income, assets, etc.), 2) measures of overall well-being (food security, intra-household discord/conflict, various psychosocial scales), and 3) recipients' decision-making process and cognitive ability.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

The experimental design comprises two arms looking at 1) transfer structure and 2) information sharing.

On transfer structure, cash transfer recipients will be asked to choose the timing and tranching of payments that they would most prefer to receive their transfer. One randomly selected group of recipients will receive the transfer according to their preferred payment structure and schedule, while the other group will be assigned a random payment structure and schedule.

On information sharing, the study will take a list of uncommon investments made by past recipients and randomly vary, at the recipient-investment level, (a) whether the recipient is told about this investment, and (b) if so, the type of information each recipient receives.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization done in an office by a computer

Randomization Unit

Randomization will occur at the household level (since transfers are distributed at the household level).

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

510 households

Sample size: planned number of observations

510 households

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

Information treatment
255 households get popularity information on 2-3 randomly selected investments (out of 5)
255 households get cost-benefit information on 2-3 randomly selected investments (out of 5)

Tranching treatment
240 households received one tranche
258 households received two tranches

Timing treatment
Among households that received 1 tranche, 18:32:23:23:18:18:18:18:18:18:18:18 were assigned to receive this in months 1-12, respectively
Among households that received 2 tranches, 38:61:42:39:39:39 were assigned to receive their first tranche in months 1-6, respectively, with the second tranche to come 6 months after the first

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

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