Access to Clean Water & the Role of Information and Transaction Costs: Field Experimental Evidence from India

Last registered on November 09, 2021

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Access to Clean Water & the Role of Information and Transaction Costs: Field Experimental Evidence from India

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0008358

Initial registration date

November 08, 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

November 09, 2021, 9:51 AM EST

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

Locations

Country

India

Region

Assam

Primary Investigator

Name

Rashmi Barua

Affiliation

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Prarthna Agarwal Goel

PI Affiliation

Guru gobind singh Indraprastha University

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Sujatha Srinivasan

PI Affiliation

IFMR Lead

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2021-11-01

End date

2022-05-31

Keywords

Behavior, Environment & Energy, Gender, Health

Additional Keywords

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

Arsenic consumption can lead to fatal health and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Children are more susceptible to arsenic because of their lower immunity and relatively higher proportion of body water compared to adults. Moreover, evidence suggests that arsenic crosses the placenta and adversely impacts health in utero. We aim to understand the constraints households face in accessing arsenic free water; is it the lack of information on water quality and its adverse health implications or the transaction costs associated with accessing water from an arsenic-free alternative water scheme. The intervention will be administered in one of the most contaminated regions of India, in Jorhat district of Assam to households with women of childbearing age, pregnant women and/or with young children.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Agarwal Goel, Prarthna, Rashmi Barua and Sujatha Srinivasan. 2021. "Access to Clean Water & the Role of Information and Transaction Costs: Field Experimental Evidence from India." AEA RCT Registry. November 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8358-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention Start Date

2021-11-08

Intervention End Date

2022-02-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Outcomes of interest are: Switching to a safer source of water; knowledge about arsenic and available water sources and its costs; whether the household is considering or has applied for a piped connection; time spent on obtaining and purifying water; short run health outcome (e.g. number of sick days, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea); duration of breastfeeding; households’ willingness to pay for clean water

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

The proposed intervention would be clustered at the village level. Randomization at the village level ensures that there are no spill over effects of the intervention that cannot be measured with experimental data.
Treatment 0 Control group: This group will receive neither the information campaign nor the transaction cost treatment
Treatment 1 Arsenic Information group: Information campaign on arsenic contamination of groundwater and the ill effects of drinking contaminated water.
Treatment 2 Arsenic Information and Reduction in Transaction Costs: Households will be informed by the surveyors about the procedure and costs, assisted with paper work and given optional assistance with submitting the application.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

computerized

Randomization Unit

Village

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

90 villages

Sample size: planned number of observations

2250 households

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

30 villages in each of the two treatment conditions and one control group, for a total of 90 villages. We propose to have 25 households in each village for a total of 2250 households.

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB