From Workfare to Economic and Sociopolitical Stability? Evidence from a Randomized Trial in Eastern Congo
刚果东部随机试验发现，工作福利项目在18个月后改善了劳动力市场结果，但对其他经济和社会政治指标无显著影响，且效果主要由女性驱动。
Abstract Did a workfare program in Eastern Congo have a lasting impact on economic and sociopolitical outcomes? Men and women in Eastern Congo were randomly assigned to 2,674 four-month job offers, or to the job offer plus a savings incentive, hard-skills training, or both. Eighteen months after the program, labor market and savings outcomes have improved, but there is no change across 12 other economic and sociopolitical outcome families. Regarding labor market outcomes, the most intensive treatment—the job offer plus the savings incentive and hard-skills training—outperforms treatments with only one add-on. This indicates that the savings incentive and hard-skills training, when combined, can create a synergistic impact greater than the sum of their individual effects. The results are mainly driven by female beneficiaries, who start at much lower levels of labor market participation and earnings than men.