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PRWP

Reproducibility package for Selection or More Capital? Experimental Evidence on High-Growth Entrepreneurs in Kenya

2026
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Reference ID
RR_KEN_2026_673
DOI
https://doi.org/10.60572/bap1-df08
Author(s)
Celine Coffka, Francisco Campos, Abla Safir, David McKenzie, Bilal Zia
Collections
World Bank Policy Research Working Papers
Metadata
JSON
Created on
Jun 24, 2026
Last modified
Jul 08, 2026
Page views
30
Downloads
5
  • Overview
  • Reproducibility Package
  • Description
  • Scope and coverage
  • Disclaimer
  • Access and rights
  • Contacts
  • Information on metadata
  • Citation

    • Overview

    Abstract

    Business plan competitions aim to identify and support high-growth entrepreneurs. We embed two experiments in a Kenyan competition to test how selection intensity and grant size determine entrepreneurial outcomes. Applicants received either a US$9,000 grant after a streamlined process, or went through multiple stages and were randomly assigned US$9,000 or US$36,000. All grants generated jobs, but impacts on firm performance only persist over three years under multi-stage selection. The larger grants did not yield significantly greater long-term impacts than the multi-stage US$9,000 grant, suggesting diminishing returns and limited lumpy investment opportunities. Selection, rather than grant size, determines long-run firm growth.

    Reproducibility Package

    Scripts
    Get Reproducibility Package
    File name
    RR_KEN_2026_673
    Zip package
    RR_KEN_2026_673.zip
    Title
    Reproducibility package for Selection or More Capital? Experimental Evidence on High-Growth Entrepreneurs in Kenya
    Date
    2026-06
    Dependencies
    Stata dependencies are listed in the ado folder.
    Instructions
    See README in reproducibility package.
    Notes
    Computational reproducibility verified by Development Impact (DECDI) Analytics team, World Bank.
    Source code repository
    Repository name URI
    Reproducible Research Repository (World Bank) https://reproducibility.worldbank.org
    Software
    Name
    Stata
    Version
    19.5 MP

    Reproducibility

    Technology environment

    Paper exhibits were reproduced on a computer with the following specifications:
    • OS: Windows 11 Enterprise
    • Processor: INTEL(R) XEON(R) PLATINUM 8562Y+ (2.80 GHz) (2 processors)
    • Memory available: 32 G
    Technology requirements

    Run time: ~ 2 hours
    Reproduction instructions

    To reproduce the findings in this paper, a replicator must:

    1. Secure Access to Data: Access the datasets not included in the package. See the Datasets section for more details.
    2. Run the Package:
    • Update the working directory in line line 13 of the do-file "master file", and run it.

    Since the raw data cannot be redistributed, the package includes the outputs produced by the authors, which can be used to review the results presented in the paper.

    Data

    Datasets
    Name
    Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP) – MbeleNaBiz Business Plan Competition Impact Evaluation (2019–2025)
    Note
    All files are forthcoming on the World Bank Microdata Library under licensed access. The dataset includes ten files: (1) baseline_stream.dta — baseline survey for applicants in the streamlined selection process, collected February 2020; (2) baseline_multi.dta — baseline survey for finalists in the multi-stage selection process, collected January–February 2021; (3) treatment_status.dta — final treatment assignment file identifying selection pathway, treatment status, control status, and grant amount; (4) 1_year_fu.dta — first follow-up survey (May–August 2022), measuring short-term impacts approximately one year after grant disbursement; (5) 2_year_fu.dta — second follow-up survey (February–May 2023), measuring outcomes approximately two years after grant disbursement; (6) 3_year_fu.dta — third follow-up survey (July 2024–March 2025), measuring medium-term outcomes approximately three to four years after grant disbursement; (7) intake_info.dta — application-stage information collected June–September 2019, including applicant characteristics, business information, and proposal details; (8) eligible_youth.dta — all applicants deemed eligible after screening; (9) scores.dta — initial application scores from the first-round screening process; (10) judges_score.dta — scores assigned by independent judges during the business plan evaluation stage.
    Access policy
    Data is forthcoming in the World Bank Microdata Library.
    License
    Licensed files
    License URL
    https://microdata.worldbank.org/terms-of-use
    Citation
    Campos, F., Safir, A., Koffka, C., McKenzie, D., and Zia, B. 2026. "Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP) – MbeleNaBiz Business Plan Competition Impact Evaluation (2019–2025)" [dataset]. Forthcoming to World Bank Microdata Library.
    Data statement

    All data is limited-access and has not been included in the reproducibility package. For more details, please refer to the README file

    Description

    Output
    Type
    Working Paper
    Title
    Selection or More Capital? Experimental Evidence on High-Growth Entrepreneurs in Kenya
    Description
    Policy Research Working Papers (PRWP)
    Authors
    Author Affiliation Email
    Celine Coffka World Bank celine.koffka@gmail.com
    Francisco Campos World Bank fcampos@worldbank.org
    Abla Safir World Bank asafir@worldbank.org
    David McKenzie World Bank dmckenzie@worldbank.org
    Bilal Zia Duoilngo bilal@duolingo.com
    Date of production

    2026-06-24

    Scope and coverage

    Geographic locations
    Location Code
    Kenya KEN
    Keywords
    Business Plan Competition High-Growth Entrepreneurship Job Creation
    Topics
    ID Topic Parent topic ID Vocabulary Vocabulary URI
    O12 Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development O1 Journal of Economic Literature (JEL)
    M13 New Firms • Startups M1 Journal of Economic Literature (JEL)
    L26 Entrepreneurship L2 Journal of Economic Literature (JEL)

    Disclaimer

    Disclaimer

    The materials in the reproducibility packages are distributed as they were prepared by the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this event do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, the Executive Directors of the World Bank, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the materials included in the reproducibility package.

    Access and rights

    License
    Name URI
    MIT License https://opensource.org/license/mit
    World Bank IGO Rider https://github.com/worldbank/metadata-editor/blob/main/WB-IGO-RIDER.md

    Contacts

    Contacts
    Name Affiliation Email
    Celine Coffka World Bank celine.koffka@gmail.com
    Reproducibility WBG World Bank reproducibility@worldbank.org

    Information on metadata

    Producers
    Name Abbreviation Affiliation Role
    Reproducibility WBG DECDI World Bank - Development Impact Department Verification and preparation of metadata
    Date of Production

    2026-06-24
    Document version

    1

    Citation

    Citation
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