Improving Employability and Psychological Well-being of Minimum Income Recipients through a Labor Reactivation Program: A Pilot Study with Spanish Red Cross.

In spite of the emergence of minimum income schemes in some high-income countries, such as the Ingreso Mínimo Vital (IMV) in Spain, there is not enough evidence to prove that these transfers alone can promote social inclusion amongst potential beneficiaries. In these contexts, it is common to find non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing programs for low-income households that aim to enhance the effectiveness of underlying government income schemes by preventing a situation of stagnant unemployment. We are currently partnering with Cruz Roja Española (CRE) and the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations (MISSM) to run a randomized evaluation of CRE’s labor interventions targeting families whose adult members are unemployed or have a low work intensity. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive an integral program that incorporates activities that promote personal autonomy and labor market insertion. Our primary outcomes will include measures of labor insertion and psychological well-being. At the end of the experiment, we expect to prove that complementing a minimum income scheme with an integral program like the one described can be effective in improving employability outcomes and reducing dependence on the social protection system.