The Unclaimed Property Puzzle: Billion Dollar Bills Lying on the Sidewalk

Last registered on January 08, 2022

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Unclaimed Property Puzzle: Billion Dollar Bills Lying on the Sidewalk
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005926
Initial registration date
May 25, 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
May 26, 2020, 5:00 PM EDT

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

Last updated
January 08, 2022, 8:43 PM EST

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
University of Toronto

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-01-10
End date
2022-12-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Currently, state governments in the United States hold billions of dollars in unclaimed properties. This represents a welfare-loss for the owners who fail to recover the amount that is owed to them. However, no studies to date have attempted to systematically investigate the types of unclaimed property owed, the demographics of the non-claimants, or their reasons for non-claiming. This study will document these basic facts and test the effectiveness of providing information and assistance in recovering the unclaimed property. Several behavioral interventions will be cross-randomized to test hypotheses relating to non-claiming behavior. This study will be the first to focus explicitly on unclaimed property and is expected to contribute to our understanding of the barriers to recovering it.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Vivalt, Eva. 2022. "The Unclaimed Property Puzzle: Billion Dollar Bills Lying on the Sidewalk." AEA RCT Registry. January 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5926-4.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2022-01-10
Intervention End Date
2022-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Described in pre-analysis plan.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Described in pre-analysis plan.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done on a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Described in the pre-analysis plan.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Same as above (design is not clustered).
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Described in the pre-analysis plan.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Australian National University
IRB Approval Date
2019-09-11
IRB Approval Number
2019/165
Analysis Plan

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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