Social investment versus workfare policies: Exploring the impact on recipients’ subjective well-being and trust in welfare state caseworkers in a Dutch social assistance experiment

Abstract This article empirically tests whether social investment strategies foster citizen capacitation, in ways that improve well-being and generate micro-level policy feedback, reflected in trust and satisfaction with welfare caseworkers. Between 2018 and 2022, 816 social assistance recipients participated in a Dutch, controlled longitudinal experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to: (1) social investment with proactive caseworker support; (2) self-direction with autonomy to decide if, when, and how to engage with caseworkers; or (3) workfare (control group) with standard municipal protocols. Key findings show positive, significant effects on caseworker satisfaction under social investment, alongside marginal significant effects on trust. We find no substantial effects on well-being. A significant negative effect in the self-direction group during the final wave only appeared after controlling for covariates. While recipients value a more supportive relationship with their caseworker, which partially translates into increased trust, it remains insufficient to counteract the weight of structural barriers for well-being.