2,800 young Chinese firms were randomized into small groups for a one-year study on business network effects. The dataset, organized by Jing Cai of the National Bureau of Economic Research, captures outcomes including an 8.1 percent revenue increase from monthly manager meetings. Effects persisted one year post-intervention and were shaped by peer quality and conversation content.
Use Cases
- Causal analysis of business network effects on firm revenue and profit based on the randomized control trial design
- Modeling the persistence of peer effects on firm growth based on the one-year follow-up results
- Studying the impact of conversation topics (management, finance, partnerships) on domain-specific performance gains
- Analyzing the role of information sharing and supplier-client matching in business networks
Strengths
- Data originates from a randomized controlled trial involving 2,800 firms, supporting causal inference
- Measures multiple outcomes: revenue, profit, inputs, partners, borrowing, and a management score
- Includes a one-year follow-up period to assess effect persistence
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
- Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the study of young Chinese firms
Provenance
- Source
- National Bureau of Economic Research
- Collection Method
- Randomized controlled trial with 2,800 firms assigned to treatment (monthly meetings) and control groups.
- Time Range
- Meetings were held for one year, with effects measured one year after conclusion.
- Geography
- China