<clinical_study>
  <!-- This xml conforms to an XML Schema at:
    https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/html/images/info/public.xsd -->
  <required_header>
    <download_date>ClinicalTrials.gov processed this data on September 20, 2023</download_date>
    <link_text>Link to the current ClinicalTrials.gov record.</link_text>
    <url>https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01703936</url>
  </required_header>
  <id_info>
    <org_study_id>AAAK6203</org_study_id>
    <nct_id>NCT01703936</nct_id>
  </id_info>
  <brief_title>Ex-combatant Reintegration in Liberia</brief_title>
  <official_title>Evaluating a Landmine Action Ex-combatant Reintegration Program in Liberia</official_title>
  <sponsors>
    <lead_sponsor>
      <agency>Columbia University</agency>
      <agency_class>Other</agency_class>
    </lead_sponsor>
    <collaborator>
      <agency>United Nations</agency>
      <agency_class>Other</agency_class>
    </collaborator>
    <collaborator>
      <agency>World Bank</agency>
      <agency_class>Other</agency_class>
    </collaborator>
  </sponsors>
  <source>Columbia University</source>
  <oversight_info>
    <has_dmc>No</has_dmc>
  </oversight_info>
  <brief_summary>
    <textblock>
      This project is an evaluation of an agricultural training and resettlement program for&#xD;
      high-risk young adults in Liberia, especially poorly integrated male ex-combatants. The&#xD;
      primary aim is to see to what extent an intensive economic and life skills intervention can&#xD;
      rehabilitate high-risk individuals and reduce aggression and armed violence.&#xD;
    </textblock>
  </brief_summary>
  <detailed_description>
    <textblock>
      Poor and unemployed youth are widely considered a threat to political stability, often blamed&#xD;
      for everything from fights to crime, riots and revolutions. Ex-combatants cause special&#xD;
      worry. Not only do they have professional experience in warfare, and hence some comparative&#xD;
      advantage in violence, but their social networks may also be dense with potential recruiters.&#xD;
      War may also have left them poorer or more traumatized than their peers. Each of these&#xD;
      factors could elevate the risk of rebellion, crime, or other aggression, risks greatest in&#xD;
      weak states and uncertain economic climates like that of Liberia.&#xD;
&#xD;
      In response, policymakers commonly turn to employment and other poverty alleviation programs,&#xD;
      including cash grants, vocational training, small business development, and microfinance.&#xD;
      Underlying these programs is the belief that with economic opportunities come stability. When&#xD;
      dealing with organized populations, such as former combatants, gang members, or criminal&#xD;
      organizations, policymakers are also anxious to break down risky social networks, especially&#xD;
      the links between commanders and foot soldiers. Interventions often go beyond simple&#xD;
      employment programs, and seek to relocate, resettle, or otherwise remove high-risk&#xD;
      individuals from risky networks.&#xD;
&#xD;
      This project evaluates a rehabilitation program for ex-combatants and other high-risk youth&#xD;
      in Liberia, a unique case where it was both politically and practically feasible to establish&#xD;
      and follow a random control group. The program we study, which was designed and implemented&#xD;
      by the international non-governmental organization (NGO) Action on Armed Violence, is among&#xD;
      the best of its class. The program is targeted towards ex-combatants and other high-risk&#xD;
      populations in resource enclaves and other &quot;hotspots&quot; around the country. It provides&#xD;
      extensive agricultural skills training and inputs alongside life skills training and&#xD;
      resettlement assistance. Its objective is to reduce the risk of violence and aggression by&#xD;
      providing an alternative, stable livelihood in civilian communities to youth otherwise&#xD;
      engaged in illicit activities or thought to be easily mobilized into crime or violence. After&#xD;
      observing two highly promising courses and classes of graduates, the researchers collaborated&#xD;
      with the NGO to randomly evaluate their next round of classes at two training sites.&#xD;
&#xD;
      The program implementers confirmed that the number of youth eligible for the program exceeded&#xD;
      program capacity by a factor of at least two. The sample size was limited to 2.5 times the&#xD;
      number of spots in the program, for a total of 1500. In order to give all eligible youth an&#xD;
      equal opportunity to participate, the program implementers determined entry into the program&#xD;
      using a computerized randomization of eligible youth. Respondents were assigned to treatment&#xD;
      and control using a randomization program coded in Stata. The sample was stratified by&#xD;
      gender, &quot;commander status,&quot; and community of registration.&#xD;
&#xD;
      The study has two principal rounds of data collection among both treatment and control&#xD;
      groups: a baseline prior to the intervention and a follow-up survey approximately one year&#xD;
      following completion of the program.&#xD;
    </textblock>
  </detailed_description>
  <overall_status>Completed</overall_status>
  <start_date>May 2009</start_date>
  <completion_date type="Actual">July 2011</completion_date>
  <primary_completion_date type="Actual">March 2010</primary_completion_date>
  <phase>N/A</phase>
  <study_type>Interventional</study_type>
  <has_expanded_access>No</has_expanded_access>
  <study_design_info>
    <allocation>Randomized</allocation>
    <intervention_model>Parallel Assignment</intervention_model>
    <masking>None (Open Label)</masking>
  </study_design_info>
  <primary_outcome>
    <measure>Potential for Social Instability</measure>
    <time_frame>1 year after completion of program</time_frame>
    <description>This outcome includes engagement in illicit activities, ease of mobilization, political attitudes, violence and aggression, how settled they are, integration into mainstream society, and mental health symptoms.</description>
  </primary_outcome>
  <primary_outcome>
    <measure>Economic Stability</measure>
    <time_frame>1 year after completion of program</time_frame>
    <description>This outcome includes employment and poverty level.</description>
  </primary_outcome>
  <primary_outcome>
    <measure>Preferences</measure>
    <time_frame>1 year after completion of program</time_frame>
    <description>This outcome includes risk and time preferences.</description>
  </primary_outcome>
  <primary_outcome>
    <measure>Interest in Agriculture</measure>
    <time_frame>1 year after completion of the program</time_frame>
    <description>This outcome measures level of interest in agriculture, attempts to engage in agriculture, perceptions of agriculture, and level of willingness to invest in agriculture.</description>
  </primary_outcome>
  <secondary_outcome>
    <measure>Level of Social Support and Quality of Social Relations</measure>
    <time_frame>1 year after completion of the study</time_frame>
    <description>The outcome includes aggregate level of social support, quality of relationship with family and elders, advising, and peer groups.</description>
  </secondary_outcome>
  <secondary_outcome>
    <measure>Aspirations and Future Planning</measure>
    <time_frame>1 year after completion of the program</time_frame>
    <description>This outcome measures aspirations for the future and thinking about the future.</description>
  </secondary_outcome>
  <secondary_outcome>
    <measure>Empowerment</measure>
    <time_frame>1 year after completion of the study</time_frame>
    <description>The outcome includes locus of control and making their own decisions.</description>
  </secondary_outcome>
  <number_of_arms>2</number_of_arms>
  <enrollment type="Actual">1330</enrollment>
  <condition>Poverty</condition>
  <condition>Social Instability</condition>
  <arm_group>
    <arm_group_label>agricultural training program</arm_group_label>
    <arm_group_type>Experimental</arm_group_type>
    <description>Three to four month residential agriculture and life skills training program.</description>
  </arm_group>
  <arm_group>
    <arm_group_label>Control group</arm_group_label>
    <arm_group_type>No Intervention</arm_group_type>
  </arm_group>
  <intervention>
    <intervention_type>Other</intervention_type>
    <intervention_name>Agricultural and life skills training program</intervention_name>
    <arm_group_label>agricultural training program</arm_group_label>
    <other_name>Tumutu Agricultural Training Program (TATP)</other_name>
    <other_name>Sinoe Agricultural Training Program (SATP)</other_name>
  </intervention>
  <eligibility>
    <criteria>
      <textblock>
        Inclusion Criteria (determined by program):&#xD;
&#xD;
          -  ex-combatant&#xD;
&#xD;
          -  not served by previous reintegration programs&#xD;
&#xD;
          -  engaged in illicit activities such as mining and rubber tapping&#xD;
&#xD;
        Exclusion Criteria (determined by program):&#xD;
&#xD;
          -  pregnant women&#xD;
&#xD;
          -  individuals deemed physically incapable of agriculture&#xD;
&#xD;
          -  foreigners unwilling to settle in Liberia&#xD;
      </textblock>
    </criteria>
    <gender>All</gender>
    <minimum_age>18 Years</minimum_age>
    <maximum_age>N/A</maximum_age>
    <healthy_volunteers>Accepts Healthy Volunteers</healthy_volunteers>
  </eligibility>
  <overall_official>
    <last_name>Jeannie Annan, Ph.D.</last_name>
    <role>Principal Investigator</role>
    <affiliation>International Rescue Committee</affiliation>
  </overall_official>
  <overall_official>
    <last_name>Christopher Blattman, Ph.D.</last_name>
    <role>Principal Investigator</role>
    <affiliation>Columbia University</affiliation>
  </overall_official>
  <location>
    <facility>
      <name>Tumutu Agricultural Training Program</name>
      <address>
        <city>Salala</city>
        <state>Bong County</state>
        <country>Liberia</country>
      </address>
    </facility>
  </location>
  <location>
    <facility>
      <name>Sinoe Agricultural Training Program</name>
      <address>
        <city>Panama</city>
        <state>Sinoe County</state>
        <country>Liberia</country>
      </address>
    </facility>
  </location>
  <location_countries>
    <country>Liberia</country>
  </location_countries>
  <verification_date>October 2012</verification_date>
  <study_first_submitted>October 8, 2012</study_first_submitted>
  <study_first_submitted_qc>October 8, 2012</study_first_submitted_qc>
  <study_first_posted type="Estimate">October 11, 2012</study_first_posted>
  <last_update_submitted>October 8, 2012</last_update_submitted>
  <last_update_submitted_qc>October 8, 2012</last_update_submitted_qc>
  <last_update_posted type="Estimate">October 11, 2012</last_update_posted>
  <responsible_party>
    <responsible_party_type>Principal Investigator</responsible_party_type>
    <investigator_affiliation>Columbia University</investigator_affiliation>
    <investigator_full_name>Christopher J. Blattman</investigator_full_name>
    <investigator_title>Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs and of Political Science</investigator_title>
  </responsible_party>
  <keyword>economic intervention</keyword>
  <keyword>ex-combatant</keyword>
  <keyword>agriculture</keyword>
  <keyword>life skills</keyword>
  <!-- Results have not yet been posted for this study                                          -->
</clinical_study>


download date: ClinicalTrials.gov processed this data on September 20, 2023
link text: Link to the current ClinicalTrials.gov record.
url: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01703936
org study id: AAAK6203
nct id: NCT01703936
lead sponsor: 
collaborator: 
collaborator: 
has dmc: No
This project is an evaluation of an agricultural training and resettlement program for
      high-risk young adults in Liberia, especially poorly integrated male ex-combatants. The
      primary aim is to see to what extent an intensive economic and life skills intervention can
      rehabilitate high-risk individuals and reduce aggression and armed violence.
Poor and unemployed youth are widely considered a threat to political stability, often blamed
      for everything from fights to crime, riots and revolutions. Ex-combatants cause special
      worry. Not only do they have professional experience in warfare, and hence some comparative
      advantage in violence, but their social networks may also be dense with potential recruiters.
      War may also have left them poorer or more traumatized than their peers. Each of these
      factors could elevate the risk of rebellion, crime, or other aggression, risks greatest in
      weak states and uncertain economic climates like that of Liberia.

      In response, policymakers commonly turn to employment and other poverty alleviation programs,
      including cash grants, vocational training, small business development, and microfinance.
      Underlying these programs is the belief that with economic opportunities come stability. When
      dealing with organized populations, such as former combatants, gang members, or criminal
      organizations, policymakers are also anxious to break down risky social networks, especially
      the links between commanders and foot soldiers. Interventions often go beyond simple
      employment programs, and seek to relocate, resettle, or otherwise remove high-risk
      individuals from risky networks.

      This project evaluates a rehabilitation program for ex-combatants and other high-risk youth
      in Liberia, a unique case where it was both politically and practically feasible to establish
      and follow a random control group. The program we study, which was designed and implemented
      by the international non-governmental organization (NGO) Action on Armed Violence, is among
      the best of its class. The program is targeted towards ex-combatants and other high-risk
      populations in resource enclaves and other "hotspots" around the country. It provides
      extensive agricultural skills training and inputs alongside life skills training and
      resettlement assistance. Its objective is to reduce the risk of violence and aggression by
      providing an alternative, stable livelihood in civilian communities to youth otherwise
      engaged in illicit activities or thought to be easily mobilized into crime or violence. After
      observing two highly promising courses and classes of graduates, the researchers collaborated
      with the NGO to randomly evaluate their next round of classes at two training sites.

      The program implementers confirmed that the number of youth eligible for the program exceeded
      program capacity by a factor of at least two. The sample size was limited to 2.5 times the
      number of spots in the program, for a total of 1500. In order to give all eligible youth an
      equal opportunity to participate, the program implementers determined entry into the program
      using a computerized randomization of eligible youth. Respondents were assigned to treatment
      and control using a randomization program coded in Stata. The sample was stratified by
      gender, "commander status," and community of registration.

      The study has two principal rounds of data collection among both treatment and control
      groups: a baseline prior to the intervention and a follow-up survey approximately one year
      following completion of the program.
allocation: Randomized
intervention model: Parallel Assignment
masking: None (Open Label)
measure: Potential for Social Instability
time frame: 1 year after completion of program
description: This outcome includes engagement in illicit activities, ease of mobilization, political attitudes, violence and aggression, how settled they are, integration into mainstream society, and mental health symptoms.
measure: Economic Stability
time frame: 1 year after completion of program
description: This outcome includes employment and poverty level.
measure: Preferences
time frame: 1 year after completion of program
description: This outcome includes risk and time preferences.
measure: Interest in Agriculture
time frame: 1 year after completion of the program
description: This outcome measures level of interest in agriculture, attempts to engage in agriculture, perceptions of agriculture, and level of willingness to invest in agriculture.
measure: Level of Social Support and Quality of Social Relations
time frame: 1 year after completion of the study
description: The outcome includes aggregate level of social support, quality of relationship with family and elders, advising, and peer groups.
measure: Aspirations and Future Planning
time frame: 1 year after completion of the program
description: This outcome measures aspirations for the future and thinking about the future.
measure: Empowerment
time frame: 1 year after completion of the study
description: The outcome includes locus of control and making their own decisions.
arm group label: agricultural training program
arm group type: Experimental
description: Three to four month residential agriculture and life skills training program.
arm group label: Control group
arm group type: No Intervention
intervention type: Other
intervention name: Agricultural and life skills training program
arm group label: agricultural training program
other name: Tumutu Agricultural Training Program (TATP)
other name: Sinoe Agricultural Training Program (SATP)
criteria: 
gender: All
minimum age: 18 Years
maximum age: N/A
healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
last name: Jeannie Annan, Ph.D.
role: Principal Investigator
affiliation: International Rescue Committee
last name: Christopher Blattman, Ph.D.
role: Principal Investigator
affiliation: Columbia University
facility: 
facility: 
country: Liberia
responsible party type: Principal Investigator
investigator affiliation: Columbia University
investigator full name: Christopher J. Blattman
investigator title: Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs and of Political Science