Training/Mentoring

Growing markets through business training for female entrepreneurs: A market-level randomized experiment in Kenya

This study measures the impact of a business training program for women in Kenya, finding that training increases the profits, sales, mental health, and subjective well-being of women.

Research Note
31 Aug 2018

The Impacts of Industrial and Entrepreneurial Work on Income and Health: Experimental Evidence from Ethiopia

Working with five Ethiopian firms, Blattman and Dercon (2018) randomized applicants to an industrial job offer, an "entrepreneurship" program of $300 plus business training, or control status.

Journal Article
1 Jul 2018

Tackling Youth Unemployment through Vocational Training and Apprenticeships

This study finds that vocational training and apprenticeships both raise employment of poor Ugandan youth, but vocational training provides general skills that foster mobility and result in higher earnings.

Research Note
14 Mar 2018

The Skills to Pay the Bills: Returns to On-the-job Soft Skills Training

Adhvaryu, Kala and Nyshadham (2017) evaluate the causal impacts of on-the-job soft skills training on the productivity, wages, and retention of female garment workers in India. The program increased women’s extraversion and communication, and spurred technical skill upgrading.

Working Paper
1 Dec 2017

Are Small Firms Labour Constrained? Experimental Evidence from Ghana

Firms in poor countries are much smaller than firms in rich countries, with the modal firm being a single person, the owner. Meanwhile, youth unemployment and underemployment are widespread.

Research Note
19 Oct 2017

Skin in the Game: Microequity and Mentorship for Online Freelancing-based Microentrepreneurs in Bangladesh

This project considers an innovative new microfinance product, based on the principles of equity financing, in which promising potential entrepreneurs are provided with capital, training and mentorship to help them become online freelancers.

Research Project
18 Sep 2017

Learning Dynamics and Managerial Quality

Adhvaryu, Nyshadham and Tamayo (2017) study 5 distinct factors of managerial quality that are likely to impact learning by doing within the firm: vocation-specific experience, managerial autonomy, cognitive skills, personality, and demographic relatability to workers.

Research Note
4 Aug 2017

Understanding the Employment Preferences of Low-income skilled Labour in India

Preliminary results indicate that trainees have strong preferences over salary and job locations and their placement officers (who are solely responsible for trainee placements) have poor knowledge of these preferences.

Research Note
3 Jul 2017

The Productivity and Retention Effects of Soft Skills Training

In partnership with a large garment factory in India, this project designs and implements a randomized controlled trial to study the impact of a year-long, in-depth soft skills training programme aimed at empowering low-skilled female labourers.

Research Note
15 Sep 2016

Training Microentrepreneurs in Green Production Methods: Supporting Growth and Responding to Climate Change

This study examines the impact of training microentrepreneurs in Bangladesh in green production methods on ecological outcomes and business practices.

Research Note
2 Oct 2015

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