Bangladesh G2P Digital Banking Access Expansion

Last registered on June 21, 2022

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Bangladesh G2P Digital Banking Access Expansion
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008164
Initial registration date
August 30, 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
August 31, 2021, 1:11 PM EDT

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

Last updated
June 21, 2022, 6:59 AM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
University of Kent

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
University of Kent
PI Affiliation
University of Kent

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2019-12-01
End date
2022-10-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In FY 2020-21, the Ministry of Social Welfare (as part of the Government of Bangladesh) fully digitized the disbursement of Bhata (social safety net allowance) payments to 88 million beneficiaries of the Old Age allowance, Widow allowance, and Disable allowance programs, primarily delivering payments into existing or new Mobile Financial Services (MFS) accounts. As of June 2021, all newly enrolled participants receive money digitally on mobile money accounts. While this new system has many benefits, concerns regarding beneficiaries’ experience and barriers to use were identified during monitoring surveys. This study aims to test a combination of programmatic interventions designed to address the market frictions that beneficiaries face.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Rahanaz, Maliha, Zaki Wahhaj and Zaki Wahhaj. 2022. "Bangladesh G2P Digital Banking Access Expansion." AEA RCT Registry. June 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8164-6.0
Sponsors & Partners

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

Request Information
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention's goal is to increase beneficiary awareness about collecting their government aid and other potential uses of mobile money accounts. A combination of methods to increase awareness will be used.

1. Circulate posters providing information on mobile money account services likely to be of interest to some G2P payment beneficiaries.
2. Screen video messages in the local dialect or Bangla highlighting the features of mobile money accounts that may be of interest specifically for some G2P payment beneficiaries.
3. Incentivize mobile money agents to provide better quality services to their clientele (e.g. providing assistance during cash-out), this intervention will introduce an award system to recognize agents that have provided high quality ‘customer care’.
Intervention Start Date
2022-03-02
Intervention End Date
2022-06-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Knowledge about mobile money accounts;
2. Mobile money account usage for different kinds of transactions (e.g. withdrawals, deposits, transfers, payment of bills);
3. Satisfaction with mobile money account usage experience;
4. MFS agent fees paid; and
5. Remittances sent/received.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This trial is a randomized controlled trial with three arms.

T3: Video message viewing + poster/print media + incentivized mobile money agents
T2: Incentivized mobile money agents
T1: Video message viewing + poster/print media
T0: No treatment
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is done in office by a computer using government records of G2P recipients.
Randomization Unit
Clustered on the union level, with targeted messaging to select individuals within some treatment clusters.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
100 unions
Sample size: planned number of observations
3,000 beneficiaries
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
T3: Video message viewing + poster/print media + incentivized mobile money agents; 25 unions
T2: Incentivized mobile money agents; 25 unions
T1: Video message viewing + poster/print media; 25 unions
T0: No treatment; 25 unions
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Innovations for Poverty Action Institutional Review Board #0004745
IRB Approval Date
2020-03-10
IRB Approval Number
15445
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