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Home | News | Paper by alumni Jonneke Bolhaar and Nadine Ketel, and fellow Bas van der Klaauw published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
News | January 16, 2019

Paper by alumni Jonneke Bolhaar and Nadine Ketel, and fellow Bas van der Klaauw published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics

The paper ‘Job Search Periods for Welfare Applicants: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment’ by alumni Jonneke Bolhaar (CPB) and Nadine Ketel (University of Gothenburg) , and research fellow Bas van der Klaauw (VU Amsterdam), and Jonneke Bolhaar (CPB) has been published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. Read full paper here.

Paper by alumni Jonneke Bolhaar and Nadine Ketel, and fellow Bas van der Klaauw published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics

Abstract

We combine a randomized experiment with administrative data to study the effects of mandatory job search periods in the Dutch welfare system. Job search periods postpone the first welfare benefits payment and encourage applicants to start searching for jobs actively. Job search periods substantially reduce benefits take up. The decline in benefits receipt is permanent, but fully compensated by increased earnings because of higher reemployment rates. We do not find detectable effects on health and crime outcomes, nor do we observe income declines for more vulnerable applicants. Our results suggest that job search periods are an effective instrument for targeting benefits to welfare applicants.

Article Citation:

Jonneke Bolhaar, Nadine Ketel, and Bas van der Klaauw. 2019.Job Search Periods for Welfare Applicants: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment.’ American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, Vol. 11 (1): 92-125. DOI: 10.1257/app.20170163