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The Psychosocial Value of Employment : Evidence from a Refugee Camp

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  • Hussam,Reshmaan Nahar
  • Kelley,Erin Munro
  • Lane,Gregory
  • Zahra,Fatima

Abstract

Employment may be important to well-being for reasons beyond its role as an income source.This paper presents a causal estimate of the psychosocial value of employment in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Thestudy involves 745 individuals in a field experiment with three arms: a control arm, a weekly cash arm, and anemployment arm of equal value. The findings show that employment raises psychosocial well-being substantially morethan cash alone, and 66 percent of the employed are willing to forego cash payments to continue working temporarily forfree. Despite material poverty, the individuals in the sample both experience and recognize the nonmonetary,psychosocial value of employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Hussam,Reshmaan Nahar & Kelley,Erin Munro & Lane,Gregory & Zahra,Fatima, 2022. "The Psychosocial Value of Employment : Evidence from a Refugee Camp," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10138, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10138
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander Ahammer & Analisa Packham, 2022. "Disability Insurance Screening and Worker Outcomes," Upjohn Working Papers 22-375, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    2. Tom Günther & Jakob Conradi & Clemens Hetschko, 2024. "Socialism, Identity and the Well-Being of Unemployed Women," CESifo Working Paper Series 11154, CESifo.
    3. repec:ags:aaea22:335612 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Swati Dhingra & Fjolla Kondirolli, 2023. "Jobless and Stuck: Youth Unemployment and COVID-19 in India," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 71(3), pages 580-610, September.
    5. Wein, Tom & Lanthorn, Heather & Fischer, Torben, 2023. "First steps toward building respectful development: Three experiments on dignity in aid in Kenya and the United States," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 29(C).
    6. Elice, Paola & Martínez Flores, Fernanda & Reichert, Arndt R., 2023. "Religious terrorism, forced migration, and women's empowerment: Evidence from the Boko Haram insurgency," Ruhr Economic Papers 1044, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    7. Chadi, Adrian & Hetschko, Clemens, 2025. "Income or leisure? On the hidden benefits of (un)employment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    8. Arlen Guarin & Juliana Londoño-Vélez & Christian Posso, 2023. "Reparations as Development? Evidence from Victims of the Colombian Armed Conflict," Borradores de Economia 1236, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    9. Dhingra, Swati & Kondirolli, Fjolla, 2023. "Jobless and stuck: youth unemployment and COVID-19 in India," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 119619, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Lehner, Lukas & Kasy, Maximilian, 2022. "Employing the unemployed of Marienthal: Evaluation of a guaranteed job program," INET Oxford Working Papers 2022-29, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
    11. Guilherme Amorim & Diogo Britto & Alexandre Fonseca & Breno Sampaio, 2022. "Job Loss, Unemployment Insurance and Health: Evidence from Brazil," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 22192, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    12. Ahammer, Alexander & Packham, Analisa, 2023. "Effects of unemployment insurance duration on mental and physical health," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    13. Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina & Ibanez, Ana Maria & Rozo, Sandra V. & Traettino, Salvador, 2023. "More Benefits, Fewer Children: How Regularization Affects Immigrant Fertility," IZA Discussion Papers 16170, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Peter Ganong & Fiona Greig & Pascal Noel & Daniel M. Sullivan & Joseph Vavra, 2024. "Spending and Job-Finding Impacts of Expanded Unemployment Benefits: Evidence from Administrative Micro Data," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 114(9), pages 2898-2939, September.
    15. Siddique, Abu & Islam, Asad & Mozumder, Tanvir Ahmed & Rahman, Tabassum & Shatil, Tanvir, 2022. "Forced Displacement, Mental Health, and Child Development: Evidence from the Rohingya Refugees," SocArXiv b4fc7, Center for Open Science.
    16. Aubery, Frederic & Buisson, Marie-Charlotte, 2024. "Making ends meet in refugee camps: Food distribution cycles, consumption and undernutrition," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).

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