Engaging in productive activities may yield benefits that go beyond earning a wage or income, such as improved psychosocial wellbeing.
This event discusses a study that empirically tests this hypothesis among Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, with 745 individuals participating in the randomized study and assigned to one among three groups: a 'work-task' group which was compensated for engaging in a small task, a ‘cash’ group that received a cash equivalent without needing to work, and a ‘comparison’ group that did not receive either. Findings show that individuals who were engaged in this activity had substantially better psychosocial well-being than individuals who only received cash.