Overview
The Delhi experiment shows how labor-market information moves through beliefs, access, search channels, applications, and employer response. It changed search differently for men and women and found later earnings and salaried-work signals for some women, but no statistically significant rise in employment for the full sample. The series explains what the intervention tested, what its funnel measures, and why information alone cannot guarantee a durable job.
Learning outcomes
- The Delhi intervention changed beliefs and search behavior more clearly than it changed employment.
- Men, especially those with more upward-biased wage expectations, searched less; women shifted toward digital search without a significant fall in total search.
- Early platform responses show that information reached behavior, not that applications produced jobs.
- Personalized information was associated with later earnings and salaried-work gains for some women, but the estimates were selective and marginally significant.
- The 12-month results come from selected Delhi job seekers, while final offers, acceptance, job duration, and welfare were not fully observed.
Keywords
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PlansFAQ
What did the Delhi experiment change?
The Delhi experiment changed beliefs, search intensity, and search channels, but it did not significantly increase employment for the full sample. Its clearest effects appeared earlier in the search process.
Why did men and women respond differently to the Delhi experiment?
Men, especially those with more upward-biased wage expectations, reduced search, while women shifted from offline toward digital search without a significant fall in total search. The pattern reflects different starting beliefs and access constraints, not a universal difference in motivation.
Did the Delhi experiment increase employment or earnings?
It did not significantly increase employment for the full sample, while personalized treatment was associated with later earnings and some salaried-work gains for women in Months 9–11. Those subgroup estimates were selective and marginally significant.
Can digital job-search information guarantee a better job?
No. It can make vacancies more visible, revise expectations, or lower search costs, but the study did not observe final offers, contract acceptance, job duration, or complete match quality.