Weten wat werkt ("What Works") Utrecht Social Assistance Experiment
A randomized controlled trial run by Utrecht University for the Municipality of Utrecht (and Municipality of Zeist) testing whether relaxing social-assistance (bijstand) rules improves labor-market and wellbeing outcomes. 752-787 social assistance claimants were randomly assigned to a control group and three treatment groups (more autonomy/exemption from job-search obligations, more intensive caseworker support, or a more generous earned-income disregard) for 16 months. It was one of six parallel Dutch municipal welfare experiments (2017-2019) run under a national Participatiewet research framework, not a standalone universal basic income pilot.
Welfare reform, Randomized controlled trial, Social assistance, Not a pure UBI, Multi-city Dutch experiment
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Municipality of Utrecht – Werk en Inkomen (Work and Income Department), in partnership with Utrecht University School of Economics and Regional Social Service Kromme Rijn Heuvelrug (Municipality of Zeist)
- City
- Utrecht
- State / Province
- Utrecht (province)
- Country
- Netherlands
Contact
- Phone
- +31 30 286 00 00
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Number of recipients
- 787
- Funding type
- Government, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- EUR
- Total Amount
- 18,376 EUR (≈ $20,924.74)
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,148.5 EUR (≈ $1,307.80)
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 16 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit (standard municipal social assistance payment channel)
- Benefit details
Participants continued receiving their existing bijstand (social assistance) payment, which as of January 2019 was a maximum of EUR 1,025.55/month for a single-person household (70% of net minimum wage) or EUR 1,465.07/month for a two-person household (100% of net minimum wage), plus child allowances. What varied by group was not the base benefit amount but the rules: Group 1 (control) received standard treatment; Group 2 ("Autonomously in action") was exempted from job-search/acceptance obligations; Group 3 ("With extra help in action") received intensified caseworker support; Group 4 ("Work pays off") could keep 50% of earned income up to EUR 202/month for the full 16 months (vs. the standard 25% up to EUR 202/month for a maximum of 6 months).
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Open to existing social assistance (bijstand/Participatiewet) claimants in Utrecht (and the Kromme Rijn Heuvelrug region including Zeist) who volunteered to participate; participants were then randomly assigned to one of four groups. About three-quarters of participants were assessed by the welfare agency as having a "long distance to the labour market."
Financial
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Required
- Employment status
- Unemployed
Geography
- Countries covered
- Netherlands
- Cities covered
- Utrecht, Zeist
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Participation required completing periodic questionnaires (on labor participation, social participation, health/wellbeing, client satisfaction, financial situation) and consenting to use of Statistics Netherlands (CBS) administrative data on wages, hours worked, and contract type for the study's duration; some participants also took part in in-depth interviews.
Application Process
- How to apply
Recruitment was via the Municipality of Utrecht's Work and Income department (Werk en Inkomen); existing social assistance claimants were invited to voluntarily register for the study and were then randomly assigned to one of the four groups. There was no separate public application process, as the underlying benefit (bijstand) requires a standard social assistance application through the municipality.
- Selection process
Random assignment (RCT) of volunteering, eligible existing bijstand claimants into one of four groups (control, autonomy/exemption, extra help, or earned-income disregard) for a 16-month treatment period.
