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Field
Abstract
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Before
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. Additionally, the study provides an opportunity to investigate the consequences of receiving a large positive income shock on outcomes such as debt and credit. A subset of participants will be further randomized into receiving a light touch financial nudge. 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 and its impact on financial health.
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After
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.
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Field
Trial Start Date
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Before
August 23, 2021
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After
November 16, 2021
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Trial End Date
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Before
December 31, 2021
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After
December 31, 2022
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Last Published
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Before
August 19, 2021 11:08 PM
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After
November 15, 2021 04:53 PM
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Intervention Start Date
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Before
August 23, 2021
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After
November 16, 2021
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Field
Planned Number of Clusters
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Before
2,260 individuals, however, this will depend on response rates as described in the pre-analysis plan.
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After
Described in the pre-analysis plan.
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Field
Planned Number of Observations
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Before
2,260 individuals, however, this will depend on response rates as described in the pre-analysis plan.
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After
Same as above (design is not clustered).
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Field
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
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Before
Between 1/3rd in each main treatment arm and 20%:40%:40% as described in the pre-analysis plan.
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After
Described in the pre-analysis plan.
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