Behavioral Insights on Women’s Employment in Ethiopia

Last registered on August 31, 2021

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Behavioral Insights on Women’s Employment in Ethiopia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005586
Initial registration date
March 23, 2020

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
March 24, 2020, 10:59 AM EDT

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

Last updated
August 31, 2021, 2:55 PM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
World Bank

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
World Bank
PI Affiliation
World Bank
PI Affiliation
World Bank

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2020-02-05
End date
2021-07-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Ethiopia’s Industrial Parks have created a large number of job opportunities for low-skilled workers in recent years, particularly women. However, existing research on women who receive offers of factory jobs in these parks has often found low take-up rates and high turnover, particularly at early stages of employment. This study explores potential explanations for this low take-up and high turnover, as well as women’s broader labor supply decisions in this context. The sample will be 600 women who express interest in factory jobs, by presenting themselves at the factory gate at the Bole Lemi Industrial Park when hiring opportunities are announced. We will conduct a baseline session consisting of a survey and incentivized activities to elicit preferences and behavioral traits. We will conduct a follow-up survey with the same women after approximately three months, to measure whether women took up factory jobs or other opportunities, and their short-term retention.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ajayi, Kehinde et al. 2021. "Behavioral Insights on Women’s Employment in Ethiopia." AEA RCT Registry. August 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5586-2.1
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2020-02-05
Intervention End Date
2020-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Employment, beliefs and expectations about employment
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
During the baseline session, women will participate in a survey questionnaire and a set of incentivized activities to elicit preferences and behavioral traits.

The survey measures women’s demographic characteristics, their work history, unincentivized measures of their beliefs and expectations (both about factory work and outside employment options), and standard self-reported survey measures of the following traits: grit, self-efficacy, planning, and conscientiousness. The survey also contains an unincentivized measure of cognitive ability, inspired by the Raven’s matrices task. The incentivized activities will use incentive-compatible tasks to elicit time preferences, risk preferences, and preferences over different systems of remuneration for a real effort task. Respondents will be paid for one of their choices in one of the incentivized activities, as randomly selected by a lottery. If applicable, they will be required to carry out the real effort task under the conditions described by the selected question in order to receive their remuneration.

The follow-up phone survey will take place after approximately three months, and will measure whether women took up factory jobs or other opportunities, their short-term retention, and any revisions to their beliefs or expectations about factory jobs or other opportunities.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Respondents will be paid for one of their choices in one of the incentivized activities, as randomly selected by a lottery. The participant will draw numbered balls from a bag, while sitting one-on-one with the enumerator, to determine which activity and which question within that activity will be paid.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
600
Sample size: planned number of observations
600
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
N/A. This is a baseline and endline survey with no treatment as such. The randomized component is incentivization by random lottery draw of which choice in which task in the baseline activities will be implemented and paid for each respondent.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
HML IRB
IRB Approval Date
2020-01-07
IRB Approval Number
690WBG20
Analysis Plan

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

Request Information

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