Compulsory work-focused interviews for inactive benefit claimants: an evaluation of the British ONE pilots

Abstract

Using administrative panel data on individuals, we evaluate the effect of compulsory work-focused interviews (CWFI) on the probability of leaving social security benefit for the two main recipient groups of out-of-work benefits outside the unemployed: lone parents and the sick or disabled. CWFI for these groups were first introduced for new benefit claimants in Britain under the ONE programme in a limited number of benefit districts, enabling us to identify the policy effect. Using a difference-in-differences procedure, we find little evidence to suggest that CWFI increases labour market participation amongst inactive benefit claimants.