Gendered Beliefs and Referral Behavior

Last registered on February 19, 2021

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Gendered Beliefs and Referral Behavior
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007206
Initial registration date
February 18, 2021

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
February 19, 2021, 11:20 AM EST

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Vanderbilt University

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Vanderbilt University
PI Affiliation
Vanderbilt University

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2021-02-15
End date
2021-12-31
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Vocational training programs and, more generally, interventions that target individuals with the goal of improving their income-generating potential, face several conceptual and practical challenges. Among them is recruiting beneficiaries who both meet the need-based qualifications for these programs and possess the attributes necessary to benefit from the program. In this experiment, we propose to address two research questions aimed at understanding how referrals can improve recruiting to vocational training and similar programs. First, can incentivized referral programs increase the size and quality of the applicant pool for such programs? Second, is the gender composition of referrals related to referees' beliefs about gender differences in suitability for the program in question? To answer these questions, we will combine a structured online lab experiment to elicit gender-specific beliefs about suitability for an IT support job training program with an incentivized referral activity. The referral activity pays referees conditional on their referrals undertaking the relatively time-intensive application process. It is designed to elicit the gender composition of referees' top two referrals, as well as whether referees are able and willing to provide a gender-balanced portfolio of referrals when incentivized to do so.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Carvajal-Osorio, Luis, Andrew Dustan and Kristine Koutout. 2021. "Gendered Beliefs and Referral Behavior." AEA RCT Registry. February 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7206-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2021-02-22
Intervention End Date
2021-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Making a referral, gender composition of referrals, application decision, eligibility, completion of selection process
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
See PAP.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will recruit applicants to an employment training program to an online experiment and a referral exercise. The online experiment elicits beliefs and pays $3-$13. The referral exercise takes places over two rounds. In the first round, participants are asked to provide two referrals. Participants who provide two referrals in the first round are invited to provide two more referrals in the second round, but are required to provide a gender-balanced portfolio of referrals over the two rounds. Participants are paid $5 for each referral who applies to the program.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Experiment is programmed to randomize as participant completes it
Randomization Unit
Individuals
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
550 original participants and 1245 referrals
Sample size: planned number of observations
550 original participants and 1245 referrals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
550 original participants and 1245 referrals
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
See PAP.
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Innovations for Poverty Action IRB- USA
IRB Approval Date
2021-02-18
IRB Approval Number
15493
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