Spatial Frictions in the Garment Labor Market in Bangladesh

Last registered on March 31, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Spatial Frictions in the Garment Labor Market in Bangladesh
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009171
Initial registration date
March 30, 2022

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
March 31, 2022, 3:24 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Bangladesh
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Julia Cajal
Affiliation
Graduate Institute, Geneva (IHEID)
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Gabriel Kreindler
PI Affiliation
Harvard
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-07-01
End date
2022-12-31
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
Spatial Frictions, Labor Markets
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Garment workers in Dhaka have hyper-local commutes, mostly on foot. Is this a positive sign that Dhaka’s high urban density delivers sufficient attractive job opportunities? Or does this happen due to spatial frictions, either because long travel times and expensive transport make commuting further away difficult, or because information flows about job openings and workplace conditions decay quickly with distance? We run an experiment providing workers and job seekers information on hiring at high-wage factories, and study measures of job application and interest.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Cajal, Julia and Gabriel Kreindler. 2022. "Spatial Frictions in the Garment Labor Market in Bangladesh." AEA RCT Registry. March 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9171-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We will implement an information-sharing experiment embedded in an existing survey. Using weekly waves of data collection, the intervention entails four stages. In stage one, we collect baseline outcome data and obtain consent for this intervention. In stage two, we ask respondents whether their factory (or another factory that they know about) plans to hire in the coming weeks. In stage three (one week later), we will share information on which factories are hiring with other respondents who live near or far from the factory in question. We also share other information about the factory (such as the entry level wage and other non-wage job characteristics) that was previously collected. In stage four, we repeat the survey of stage one, to collect outcomes on job applications and other measures of interest. The intervention cycle is repeated between 2 and 6 times. We will randomly select a group of respondents who will receive information about hiring at (at most) two nearby factories.
Intervention Start Date
2022-07-01
Intervention End Date
2022-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Beliefs and information; measures of interest and job applications
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Workers are assigned to treatment on the basis of the neighbourhood (cluster) they live and work in. The factories assigned for the treatment and control are randomly selected within hypothetical choice sets satisfying the criteria of the design (distance, hiring status, vacancy attributes).
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Computer based
Randomization Unit
At most 150 clusters
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
At most 150
Sample size: planned number of observations
Approximately 1,300 workers x number of information rounds (2 to 6)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We expect 50% of the clusters will be treated (unique arm)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Harvard Committee on the Use of Human Subjects
IRB Approval Date
2022-02-08
IRB Approval Number
IRB22-0134
Analysis Plan

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