Can motivational videos improve agency and self-efficacy: Evidence from a Nairobi slum
1. Can motivational videos improve
agency and self-efficacy:
Evidence from a Nairobi slum
Nada Eissa, James Habyarimana and William Jack
Georgetown University
University of Arizona Development Workshop on Mind, Society and Behavior
Tucson, April 17, 2015
2. The challenges of slum life
• Unemployment
– Lack of opportunities
• Inadequate public good provision
– Waste management
– Security
– Other infrastructure
• Low levels and quality of public service
provision
– Sanitation
– Education
– Police
All symptoms of a low-
trust environment
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. Research questions
• Can some of these problems be addressed by more
active participation by slum-dwellers?
– Entrepreneurship
– Collective action
– Monitoring and enforcement
• Can subtle messages lead to behavior change?
• Or are direct instructions more effective?
8. Context: Sanitation in the Kenyan Constitution
• Article 43. (1) Every person has the right—
(a) to the highest attainable standard of health, which
includes the right to health care services, including
reproductive health care;
(b) to accessible and adequate housing, and to
reasonable standards of sanitation;
(c) to be free from hunger, and to have adequate food of
acceptable quality;
(d) to clean and safe water in adequate quantities;
9. Sanitation mobilization campaign
• The Akiba Mashinani Trust promotes
housing, sanitation, and other causes in
Mukuru and other slums in Nairobi
• AMT law suit
• AMT petition
10. The intervention
• We screen a selection of motivational videos
delivered to women in Mukuru, a Nairobi slum
• Motivational
Treatment
– Makutano Junction
+
– Ni Sisi clips
• Placebo arm
– “Mother in law,” a
popular Kenyan soap
• Explicit call to action
– Akiba Mashinani Trust
– Information about an
on-going signature
campaign
11. The Design
+
Explicit call to action
regarding sanitation
Explicit call to action
regarding sanitation
TreatmentPlacebo
No call to action
No call to action
Control
x No call to action
15. • Videos screened twice a day (morning and
afternoon), four days a week
Video sessions
16. Outcomes of interest
• Willingness to sign the AMT petition
• Other indicators of collective action
– Responses to vignettes
– Locus of control and optimism
– Preferences for public goods
– Civic participation and engagement
17. Sampling and recruitment and women
• 150 circles of radius 50m (exclude vacant land,
swamps, etc.)
• Randomly assign circles to T, P, and C
• Up to 50 women recruited within each circle
Treatment Placebo Control
1,953 1,852 1,910
38. • Participation in the petition
• Responses to vignettes
• Measures of self efficacy
• Levels of community engagement
Results
39. • Intent to treat – by treatment assignment
• 2SLS – using treatment assignment and
distance to venue as instruments for
attendance
Estimates
40. First stage
(1) (2) (3) (4)
Attended at least one show Makutano MiL
Makutano
& AMT
MiL &
AMT
Makutano Junction 0.483*** 0.005 0.064** 0.005
(0.043) (0.005) (0.027) (0.005)
Makutano Junction & AMT -0.005 -0.010 0.375*** -0.010
(0.051) (0.009) (0.038) (0.009)
Makutano Junction & AMT & Distance -0.000*** 0.000 -0.000* 0.000
(0.000) (0.000) (0.000) (0.000)
Mother-in-Law 0.008 0.372*** 0.004 0.017
(0.005) (0.038) (0.003) (0.020)
Mother-in-Law & AMT -0.003 0.082** 0.004 0.427***
(0.007) (0.042) (0.004) (0.031)
Mother-in-Law & AMT & Distance 0.000 -0.000 -0.000 -0.000
(0.000) (0.000) (0.000) (0.000)
Distance -0.000 -0.000 -0.000 -0.000
(0.000) (0.000) (0.000) (0.000)
Observations 5,556 5,556 5,556 5,556
Mean, control 0.141 0.132 0.074 0.073
R-squared 0.298 0.295 0.328 0.361
MakutanoAMT=MiLAMT 64.33 47.75 3.591 0.804
Prob > F 0.000 0.000 0.0300 0.449
Robust standard errors in parentheses
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
41. Petition: did you sign? - ITT
Panel A: ITT (1) (2)
Makutano Junction -0.026 -0.026
(0.045) (0.038)
Mother-in-Law 0.008 0.012
(0.038) (0.033)
Makutano Junction & AMT -0.047 -0.056
(0.054) (0.050)
Mother-in-Law & AMT -0.090* -0.088**
(0.046) (0.043)
R-squared 0.009 0.012
Makutano=MiL 0.251 0.427
Prob > F, Makutano=MiL 0.779 0.653
Observations 4,108 3,926
Mean, Control 0.727 0.755
Robust standard errors in parentheses
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
Note: Second regression excludes ineligible signatures
42. Panel B: IV Attended at least one show (1) (2)
Makutano Junction -0.073 -0.064
(0.115) (0.099)
Mother-in-Law 0.015 0.032
(0.103) (0.091)
Makutano Junction & AMT -0.120 -0.141
(0.144) (0.138)
Mother-in-Law & AMT -0.211* -0.210*
(0.117) (0.110)
Observations 4,108 3,926
Mean, Control 0.727 0.755
Robust standard errors in parentheses
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
Note: Second regression excludes ineligible signatures
Petition: did you sign? - IV
43. Vignette 1
Mike lives in a house that like others in his area has lots of solid waste
disposal outside. In particular, there is a drain outside his house that
floods occasionally creating a very unhealthy environment for children
in the area. Mike and his neighbors would really like to have the drain
cleared so rainwater can flow away from their homes. If you were Mike’s
neighbor, would you take any of the following actions?
• Ask someone in your household to help clear up the drain? Yes/No
• Contribute to a fund to pay for the civil works required? Yes/No
• Talk to the village chairman to do something about the drainage?
Yes/No
• Start looking for alternative accommodation? Yes/No
45. Vignette 2
Alice was robbed on her way home from the market by some unknown individuals.
She brings her complaint to the local police station in order to have the individuals
apprehended and her property returned. The officer in charge tells her that there is
very little he can do as he is under-staffed and has no resources to investigate the
case or for that matter deploy patrols to deter future crime. Alice is considering a few
options to recover her property and reduce crime in her neighborhood. Alice would
like your help in improving her community. Would you agree to:
• Bring up this matter with the village headman and other political leaders to seek
funding for the local police? Yes/No
• Be part of a local neighborhood watch group to keep out criminals? Yes/No
• Let her stay with you for a few days as she looks for another place to live? Yes/No
• Contribute to a fund to support the local police station provide services? Yes/No
47. Vignette 3
The local water supply in Wangeci’s community is not very clean.
Wangeci is concerned about the health of her elderly parents
who cannot afford to boil the water or use a water filter.
Wangeci does some research and has been told that the
community will need to raise 50,000 Kshs to protect the well and
improve the quality of the water. Another option is to start a
signature campaign to motivate the local government to pay for
the well protection. Which of these two options would you
advise Wangeci to pursue?.
• Community fundraising to protect the well?
• A signature campaign to engage the local government?
49. Vignette 4
Mumbi discovers the teachers at her child’s school have been skipping class. She
confronts the deputy head teacher who tells her that the reason for the absence is
that teachers have very large classes, and their salary has not been paid for three
months. Her child has just started grade 3 but still cannot read simple sentences.
Mumbi is desperate to make sure her child learns these important skills. She asks for
your advice on the following options that she is considering? Do you think the
following would be a sensible course of action?
• Moving her child to a private school? Yes/No
• Fundraising for the school to hire a few more contract teachers? Yes/No
• Going to the radio/newspapers to raise the issue of teacher compensation?
Yes/No
• Raising the absenteeism problem with the school management committee?
Yes/No
51. Vignette 5
Eva thinks her local community leader does not care
about local issues that primarily affect women. In the
next election, she decides to run for his position to try
and change the situation.
• Do you think that Eva’s approach, to run for office,
is a good way to make positive social change?
52. Vignette 5: ITT
(1)
Vin5 Q1
Panel A: ITT results
Makutano Junction -0.036
(0.045)
Mother-in-Law -0.082*
(0.043)
Makutano Junction & AMT 0.031
(0.045)
Mother-in-Law & AMT 0.038
(0.046)
R-squared 0.009
Makutano=MiL 0.594
Prob > F, Makutano=MiL 0.553
Observations 4,073
Mean, Control 0.84
Robust standard errors in parentheses
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
54. Engagement and decision making: ITT
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Community
Leader
Group
Member
Attend
Groups
Engagement
Index
Decision-
Making
Panel A: ITT results
Makutano Junction -0.061 -0.007 -0.001 -0.035 0.022
(0.047) (0.046) (0.007) (0.055) (0.047)
Mother-in-Law -0.099*** -0.049 0.006 -0.086* 0.031
(0.038) (0.041) (0.006) (0.044) (0.043)
Makutano Junction & AMT 0.021 0.030 -0.008 0.043 0.001
(0.053) (0.043) (0.008) (0.061) (0.054)
Mother-in-Law & AMT 0.029 -0.039 -0.009 -0.004 -0.014
(0.053) (0.046) (0.006) (0.058) (0.054)
R-squared 0.010 0.013 0.004 0.015 0.005
Makutano=MiL 3.627 0.783 1.138 1.866 0.273
Prob > F, Makutano=MiL 0.029 0.459 0.323 0.158 0.762
Observations 4,073 4,073 4,556 4,073 3,060
Mean, Control 0.646 0.459 0.977 0.043 0.654
Robust standard errors in parentheses
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
55. Engagement and decision making: IV
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Community
Leader
Group
Member
Attend
Groups
Engagement
Index
Decision-
Making
Makutano Junction -0.135 0.010 -0.003 -0.061 0.051
(0.123) (0.112) (0.017) (0.137) (0.117)
Mother-in-Law -0.261** -0.122 0.019 -0.223* 0.082
(0.107) (0.117) (0.016) (0.127) (0.120)
Makutano Junction &
AMT 0.060 0.074 -0.022 0.109 -0.000
(0.139) (0.109) (0.020) (0.156) (0.138)
Mother-in-Law & AMT 0.114 -0.066 -0.024 0.033 -0.047
(0.136) (0.119) (0.016) (0.151) -0.136
Observations 4,073 4,073 4,556 4,073 3,060
Mean, Control 0.646 0.459 0.977 0.043 0.654
Robust standard errors in parentheses
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
56. • There is little discernible effect of the
treatment, Makutano Junction
• If anything, exposure to the placebo had
negative effects
• Being instructed explicitly to sign a petition
seemed to reduce the willingness of
women to do so
Conclusion