Enhancing the resources of frontline workers in welfare-to-work policy: is it financially effective? Findings from a local pilot in Southern Switzerland

Aims: this paper reports findings of a counterfactual analysis measuring the direct financial impact of a 20-months pilot project in the field of welfare frontline delivery in the Canton of Ticino (Southern Switzerland). The “OSA 100 incarti” project consisted of a reduction of the administrative workload and in a tailored training focusing on social work skills that has been offered to the administrative case workers. Methods: we adopted a theory-driven evaluation approach based on the construction of an impact theory that considers the point of view of the main stakeholders as well as theoretical elements. The financial impacts have been measured in the framework of a counterfactual quasi-experimental design combining a propensity score matching technique and fixed-effect regressions. Findings: the evidence suggests a direct financial benefit for the public administration. The main source of savings comes from the reduction in the social assistance ordinary benefits. The gain is mainly driven by the savings obtained for the households that were economically inactive at baseline. Interpretation and possible policy implications of these findings are presented.