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Welfare to work and subjective well‐being: Evidence from a randomized control trial

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  • Chris Riddell

Abstract

I examine the effect of transitioning from welfare to full‐time employment on a variety of measures of subjective well‐being for a sample of long‐term welfare recipients in British Columbia and New Brunswick who participated in the Self‐Sufficiency Project (SSP). Individuals randomly assigned to the treatment group could receive a generous time‐limited earnings supplement if they found full‐time work. I use random assignment to estimate the local average treatment effect of working full time on well‐being. For the complier subpopulation, I find large, positive effects on subjective well‐being that persist over the longer run for New Brunswick and through roughly three years for British Columbia. Policy changes made during the experiment may explain the provincial differences. De l’aide sociale au travail et bien‐être subjectif : l’exemple d’un échantillon aléatoire et contrôlé. Dans cet article, j’étudie les effets du passage de l’aide sociale au travail à temps plein sur un ensemble de mesures de bien‐être subjectif au sein d’un panel d’allocataires sociaux de longue durée ayant participé au Projet d’autosuffisance (PAS) en Colombie‐Britannique et au Nouveau‐Brunswick. Les participants au projet, intégrés au groupe expérimental de façon aléatoire, pouvaient bénéficier de compléments de revenus généreux et limités dans le temps à condition de trouver un emploi à temps plein. Afin d’évaluer l’effet de traitement moyen local du travail à plein temps sur le bien‐être, j’ai utilisé la technique d’affectation aléatoire. Pour le sous‐groupe ayant retrouvé un travail à temps plein, les effets positifs sur le bien‐être sont importants et persistent de manière durable au Nouveau‐Brunswick tandis qu’ils ne durent qu’environ trois ans en Colombie‐Britannique. Les changements de politiques au cours de l’expérience peuvent expliquer les différences entre les deux provinces.

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  • Chris Riddell, 2020. "Welfare to work and subjective well‐being: Evidence from a randomized control trial," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(1), pages 83-107, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:canjec:v:53:y:2020:i:1:p:83-107
    DOI: 10.1111/caje.12430
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hicks, Jeffrey & Simard-Duplain, Gaëlle & Green, David A. & Warburton, William, 2022. "The effect of reducing welfare access on employment, health, and children's long-run outcomes," CLEF Working Paper Series 51, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), University of Waterloo.

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