An Adaptive Targeted Field Experiment: Job Search Assistance for Refugees in Jordan

A. Stefano Caria, Grant Gordon, Maximilian Kasy, Simon Quinn, Soha Shami and Alexander Teytelboym

No 2020-20, CSAE Working Paper Series from Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford

Abstract: We introduce a novel adaptive targeted treatment assignment methodology for field experiments. Our Tempered Thompson Algorithm balances the goals of maximiz¬ing the precision of treatment effect estimates and maximizing the welfare of exper¬imental participants. A hierarchical Bayesian model allows us to adaptively target treatments. We implement our methodology in Jordan, testing policies to help Syr¬ian refugees and local jobseekers to find work. The immediate employment impacts of a small cash grant, information and psychological support are close to zero, but targeting raises employment by 1 percentage-point (20%). After four months, cash has a sizable effect on employment and earnings of Syrians.

Date: 2020
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ara, nep-exp and nep-mig
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Related works:
Journal Article: An Adaptive Targeted Field Experiment: Job Search Assistance for Refugees in Jordan (2024)
Working Paper: An Adaptive Targeted Field Experiment: Job Search Assistance for Refugees in Jordan (2021)
Working Paper: An Adaptive Targeted Field Experiment: Job Search Assistance for Refugees in Jordan (2021)
Working Paper: An Adaptive Targeted Field Experiment: Job Search Assistance for Refugees in Jordan (2020)
Working Paper: An Adaptive Targeted Field Experiment: Job Search Assistance for Refugees in Jordan (2020)
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