Back to History Current Version

Foster adoption and productive use of electricity – A cluster randomized policy roll-out in rural Rwanda

Last registered on October 04, 2021
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
How to foster adoption of electricity and income generation in recently electrified areas. A cluster-randomized trial in rural Rwanda
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008304
Initial registration date
September 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
October 04, 2021, 2:56 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Rwanda
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Lise Masselus
Affiliation
RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Nathan Fiala
PI Affiliation
University of Connecticut and RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Anicet Munyehirwe
PI Affiliation
IB&C
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Jörg Peters
PI Affiliation
RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and University of Passau
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Maximiliane Sievert
PI Affiliation
RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2020-11-01
End date
2023-12-31
Keywords
Environment & Energy, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Despite a significant rollout of the electric grid, electricity usage among household and micro-enterprises in rural Rwanda remains low. This project seeks to answer if the benefits of on-grid electrification can be maximized by the availability of complementary inputs. Specifically, we study how tailored and bundled Business Development Services including on-time grants for micro-enterprises and cooperatives can stimulate appliance investments, electricity usage intensity, and business performance. We partner with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure to randomly assign the Business Development Services on the village level. The project will inform policy makers on how to increase the effectiveness of electrification interventions in Rwanda and in other countries.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Fiala, Nathan et al. 2021. "How to foster adoption of electricity and income generation in recently electrified areas. A cluster-randomized trial in rural Rwanda." AEA RCT Registry. October 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8304-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2021-10-01
Intervention End Date
2022-10-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Appliance investments, electricity consumption, business performance and income
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conduct a randomized controlled trial where we test whether access to tailored and bundled Business Development Services improves appliance investments, electricity usage intensity, and business performance. The randomization of the treatment allows us to causally identify the impact on our primary and secondary outcomes.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
In office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Center (cluster of umudugudu's)
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
85 centers
Sample size: planned number of observations
1275 respondents
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
30 treatment centers, 55 control centers
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
UCONN Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2021-03-21
IRB Approval Number
H20-0104
Analysis Plan

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