Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are severely limited by regulations outlawing formal work, in addition to movement restrictions that limit access to nearby informal work, potentially contributing to poor mental health outcomes. This randomized evaluation examined the effects of employment on psychosocial wellbeing and found that employment delivers significant psychosocial wellbeing, particularly among men. Moreover, a weekly cash provision of equal value did not improve psychosocial wellbeing, and 66 percent of those who worked were willing to forego cash payments for working. The results can be used to inform social protection policies for the unemployed in low income countries and refugee populations globally.

Urban crime and violence is one of the most costly and divisive issues facing cities around the world. Short-term studies have demonstrated that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective way to reduce violence and criminality among adolescents and young adults. To understand the long-term effectiveness of CBT, researchers evaluated the impact of a CBT program and unconditional cash transfers on the behavior of high-risk young men in Liberia. Results demonstrated that CBT with or without cash reduced the likelihood of aggressive and criminal behavior among participants and improved some measures of self-control and self-image. CBT plus cash amplified and prolonged these benefits. Cash alone reduced crime in the short-run, but effects dissipated within a year.

IPA’s Peace & Recovery Program supports innovative research on crime, violence, conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crises through our competitive research initiatives. Our Peace & Recovery Initiative supports research on a wide range of topics related to conflict and crisis.

The Innovations for Poverty Action and Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Displaced Livelihoods Initiative (DLI) supports rigorous impact evaluations, pilots, exploratory studies, infrastructure and public goods projects, and scaling work to inform policies and programs on sustainable livelihoods for displaced populations and host communities.