Health-related effects of welfare-to-work policies

Abstract

In this paper we evaluate the effects of welfare-to-work programs on physical and mental health status and a variety of lifestyles. We test whether participation in work-related activities yields better results in terms of health outcomes than more general measures aimed at promoting life-skills. The paper is based on data from the minimum income program of Madrid’s Government (IMI). We match the program’s administrative records —covering the whole history of the program— with a specific survey of former recipients who took part in different activities. Our results show that both health status —including physical and mental health problems— and behaviors outcomes were modestly better for those individuals who had taken part in work-related activities.