Labor market challenges for small and women-led businesses in times of crises: Evidence from Tanzania

Last registered on August 10, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Labor market challenges for small and women-led businesses in times of crises: Evidence from Tanzania
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006260
Initial registration date
August 08, 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
August 10, 2020, 10:47 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Tanzania, United Republic of
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Annekathrin Schoofs
Affiliation
RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Nathan Fiala
PI Affiliation
University of Connecticut
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2019-09-01
End date
2022-12-31
Keywords
Finance & Microfinance, Firms & Productivity, Gender
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This study aims to understand the effects on women’s financial inclusion and labor market decisions during COVID-19. We collect information on women working at markets in relevant wards in Tanzania. Our sample is a representative selection of female entrepreneurs in these markets because more than 96 percent of women in our baseline sample owned the business they were working at. This will enable us to gain a clear idea of the economic impact on these women during the COVID-19 crises.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Fiala, Nathan and Annekathrin Schoofs. 2020. "Labor market challenges for small and women-led businesses in times of crises: Evidence from Tanzania." AEA RCT Registry. August 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6260
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Women entrepreneurs were randomly chosen to receive a free e-bank and savings account, which is only accessible to the woman. She is able to make transactions at a local bank branch or through a mobile network, keeping transactions as private as she would like. In addition to providing e-bank and savings accounts, we also experimentally varied the involvement of the husband by offering the same savings product but with their husbands being informed about. Finally, in some households, both spouses were invited to a training program that aims to improve the quality of household decision-making.
Intervention Start Date
2019-10-01
Intervention End Date
2019-11-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Income, productive time use, savings, subjective resilience, and food security
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Business performance, aspirations, emergency funds, financial autonomy, intra-household dynamics, migration, and mental health
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Eligible women who consented to participate were randomly allocated to either of the three treatment arms or to the control group.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Computer-generated randomization
Randomization Unit
Individual randomization
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
n.a.
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,706
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
303 private account, 317 "announced" account, 351 "announced" account and training sessions on family dynamics and cooperation, 294 control group, and another 441 pure control markets
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Innovations for Poverty Action
IRB Approval Date
2018-07-17
IRB Approval Number
14693
Analysis Plan

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