This study utilizes a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to explore two important issues regarding
HIV/AIDS knowledge and HIV testing: 1) how to promote HIV/AIDS knowledge and demand
for HIV testing and 2) what are the causal effects of HIV/AIDS knowledge and HIV testing on
sexual behavior. In this paper, we try to understand these questions directly through two rounds
of experiments. During the first round experiment, three randomly selected treatment groups are
offered three (overlapping) treatments: HIV education only (Group 1), HIV education and home
HIV testing (Group 2), and HIV education and a conditional cash transfer for a facility-based
HIV testing (Group 3). During the second round experiment, all groups are offered either home
HIV testing or a conditional cash transfer. We first find that the level of HIV/AIDS knowledge
significantly increases, and also find suggestive evidence of knowledge spill-over. The HIV
testing rate increases by 7, 64, and 57 percentage points in Group 1, 2, and 3, respectively. We
find suggestive evidence that although test take-up rate is similar in home and facility-based HIV
testing, home testing is substantially more efficient to detect those with HIV. In addition, we find
that HIV testing take up does not dampen future demand for HIV testing. Infection expectation is
also updated for both learned negative and positive result from the testing, but the effect does not
persist after six months. These outcomes correspond to the finding that the probability of having
multiple partners increases in the short run, but this increase disappeared within six months.
(JEL: I10, C93, D80)