Zitatform

Chang, Yu-Ling & Leslie Hodges (2024): Did Unemployment Insurance Modernization Provisions Increase Benefit Receipt among Economically Disadvantaged Workers? In: Social Service Review, Jg. 98, H. 1, S. 139-177. DOI:10.1086/728680

Abstract

"This study investigates the effects of state expansions of unemployment insurance (UI) eligibility criteria on UI recipiency among unemployed workers. Using a difference-in-differences approach and data from the Current Population Survey (2003-2020), we find evidence largely consistent with the expected overall and differential effects of the expansions. An alternative base period (ABP) increases UI take-up by approximately 5 percentage points. Some evidence suggests compelling family reasons provisions increase take-up among caregivers but not those without caring responsibilities. Part-time provisions increase take-up among previously part-time workers, with no effect on previously full-time workers. The estimated magnitudes are around 6 percentage points. In addition, we observe some evidence of differential impacts by gender. Our findings contribute insights into UI policy conversations, including federal mandates for ABP and part-time provisions in eligibility determinations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Barham, Tania, Brian C. Cadena & Patrick S. Turner (2023): Taking a Chance on Workers. Evidence on the Effects and Mechanisms of Subsidized Employment from an RCT. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16221), Bonn, 114 S.

Abstract

"This paper estimates experimental impacts of a supported work program on employment, earnings, benefit receipt, and other outcomes. Case managers addressed employment barriers and provided targeted financial assistance while participants were eligible for 30 weeks of subsidized employment. Program access increased employment rates by 21 percent and earnings by 30 percent while participants were receiving services. Though gains attenuated after services stopped, treatment group members experienced lasting improvements in employment stability, job quality, and well-being, and we estimate the program's marginal value of public funds to be 0.64. Post-program impacts are entirely concentrated among participants whose subsidized job was followed by unsubsidized employment with their host-site employer. This decomposition result suggests that encouraging employer learning about potential match quality is the key mechanism underlying the program's impact, and additional descriptive evidence supports this interpretation. Machine learning methods reveal little treatment effect heterogeneity in a broad sample of job seekers using a rich set of baseline characteristics from a detailed application survey. We conclude that subsidized employment programs with a focus on creating permanent job matches can be beneficial to a wide variety of unemployed workers in the low-wage labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Barnes, Tom (2023): Punish, protect or redirect? Synthesising workfare with 'spatially Keynesian' labour market policies in times of job loss. In: Environment and planning. A, Economy and space, Jg. 55, H. 4, S. 871-889. DOI:10.1177/0308518X221140891

Abstract

"The relationship between job loss and workfare has been well documented. Workers who lose jobs, including long-term careers in previously secure employment, enter systems of workfare that churn them through precarious jobs in return for meagre income support. But the relationship between workfare and alternative systems of labour market assistance rolled out before job loss is less understood. To shed new light on this issue, this article critically analyses an attempt to synthesise two labour market policies implemented in response to the closure of Australia's automotive manufacturing industry in 2017. The first policy was an altruistic, spatially Keynesian response to deindustrialisation; the second policy was based on Australia's notoriously punitive system of workfare. The article asks: how was it possible to synthesise systems framed in mutually incompatible terms? This question can be addressed, it argues, by deploying an Agency-Structure-Institutions-Discourse (ASID) approach to understand how and why these labour market policies were hybridised. The article's results are instructive in a ‘post-pandemic’ environment in which opportunities to rollout alternatives to workfare will be forced to contend with resurgent workfare states." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 a Pion publication) ((en))

Zitatform

Benjamin, Orly, Karni Krigel, Nir Cohen & Anat Tchetchik (2023): Budgeting poverty alleviation: justifying in-kind conditionality in Israeli municipal authorities. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 43, H. 11/12, S. 933-947. DOI:10.1108/IJSSP-07-2022-0175

Abstract

"Purpose: Welfare reforms introduced conditionality into cash transfers often by diverse welfare-to-work programs achieving its vast legitimization. Meanwhile in-kind poverty alleviation policies maintained their universal character in the forms of national budgeting of municipal services. Utilizing justification work, the authors aim at showing how conditionality of in-kind support is replacing universalism. The authors ask which justification work assist administrators in shaping the relationship between in-kind and cash transfer and the changing meanings of poverty alleviation practices. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with senior administrators in Israeli local governments analysing them along principles of critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 2010). Further, seeking to elicit the justification work, the authors added some guidelines from the discourse interaction approach. Findings The findings identified administrators' justification work as taking two major shapes. The first is an emphasis on conditionality in their in-kind support projects, which is limited in time, contingent upon co-operation and sometimes even enhancing choice for those in need. The second is the manifestation of pride anchored in the skilful budget management enabling the achievement of conditional in-kind support projects based on the effort involved. Research limitations/implications The authors did not prompt the interviewees for the proportions of specific categories, such as whether they are attending and benefitting of the in-kind support programs. This is a limitation of this study that prevented the authors from contrasting perceived achievements against the actual coverage of their projects. Practical implications It is important that government funding is increased for municipal anti-poverty policies engaging municipal administrator in the struggle for full and better coverage so that capability deprivation is combatted by a combination of cash transfer and quality social services that are universal and at the same time secure mentoring and supervision to all households in need. Social implications Future research should present the analysis that associates different budgets of each city with its anti-poverty polices and its different socio-economic ranking. Critical social-policy scholars may apply this study’s findings in future analyses of municipal administrators' powerposition as reinforced by national level policy makers, particularly when introducing controversial policies. Originality/value Anti-poverty policy and the specific combination between conditional cash transfers and in-kind support have been explained at the level of political–economic decision making. The authors conceptualize the need to explain anti-poverty policy by focussing on municipal administrators’ embedded agency, particularly around controversial issues. By building the professional self of municipal welfare administrators, inter alia by ignoring past meanings of in-kind support as depriving recipients of autonomy, conditionality is extended into in-kind services." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald Group) ((en))

Zitatform

Brülle, Jan (2023): No one-size-fits-all solution. Effects of social policies on in-work poverty across household types. (SocArXiv papers), 22 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/4qynt

Abstract

"The paper studies effects of social policies on in-work poverty risks, distinguishing between measures that either intervene in labour market processes -- i.e. predistribution policies -- or redistribute incomes towards those with low incomes. I argue that effects of different policies can be expected to vary across household contexts, due to the fact that the link between individual employment outcomes and in-work poverty is moderated by household type. The analyses uses data from EU-SILC and macro-level indicators from various sources to estimate general as well as household-type-specific effects using longitudinal methods. Results emphasize that labour market interventions and redistributive transfers impact in-work poverty risks through different mechanisms and also reveal important differences between specific policies: minimum wages contribute to reducing low-wage risks, whereas effects on in-work poverty are small and mainly restricted to single households where labour market outcomes and household income closely align. In contrast, there is a robust negative effect of strict employment protection legislation across almost all household types on in-work poverty, which is consistent with the positive role this measure plays for supporting higher earnings. With respect to redistributional policies, both unemployment benefits and benefits to low earners reduce poverty due to their contribution to public poverty-reduction. However, whereas unemployment benefits mainly reduce in-work poverty among couple households, benefits to low earners are the most effective measure to contribute to lower poverty risks among employed single parents." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Cefalo, Ruggero & Rosario Scandurra (2023): What, for whom, and under what circumstances: Do activation policies increase youth employment in the EU? In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 33, H. 4, S. 391-406. DOI:10.1177/09589287231199568

Abstract

"Activation measures have assumed a prominent role within policy perspectives aimed at increasing labour market participation to support welfare sustainability. Most comparative studies on active labour market policies (ALMPs) have been conducted at the national level, although several scholars recently stressed the need to consider more carefully the territorial dimension of social policies. This article addresses this research gap by providing quantitative estimates of the territorial effect of national ALMPs provision on youth employment in European regions. We find that regional contextual traits, which can present a variety of configurations, play a significant role in moderating the effects of ALMPs. Divergent outcomes per type and level of education also highlight the complexity of the landscape for ALMPs' design and implementation. Our analysis helps identify the institutional and contextual conditions that require evaluation when designing and implementing policies targeting young people." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Cotofan, Maria & Konstantinos Matakos (2023): Adapting or compounding? The effects of recurring labour shocks on stated and revealed preferences for redistribution. (CEP discussion paper / Centre for Economic Performance 1957), London, 34 S.

Abstract

"The evidence on the impact of employment shocks on preferences for redistribution is mixed on stated outcomes and sparse on revealed ones. We conduct a survey of US workers to measure the impact of repeated labour market shocks on both stated and revealed redistributive preferences. We measure the former by support on seven different policies and the latter through donations. We look at experiences of both mild shocks (having to reduce working hours) and hard shocks (unemployment), as well as past unemployment during formative years. We find evidence of adaptation to unemployment on policy preferences and compounding for milder shocks on donations, suggesting that the effects of repeated shocks on preferences for redistribution are not independent. Our results show that unemployment impacts preferences in a self-interested way, while milder shocks lead to broader support for redistribution." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Créchet, Jonathan (2023): Heterogeneity in labor mobility and unemployment flows across countries. In: European Economic Review, Jg. 155. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2023.104441

Abstract

"Empirical studies of labor-market flows suggest cross-country differences in long-run aggregate unemployment inflows and outflows of a strikingly large magnitude. The canonical search-and-matching framework of Mortensen and Pissarides (1994, 1999b; the MP model) features small elasticities of steady-state unemployment flows with respect to firing costs, at odds with the idea that labor-market institutions such as employment protection policies are a primary driver of this variation. This paper shows that introducing permanent match-quality heterogeneity in the standard MP model substantially amplifies these elasticities. It then develops a quantitative search model with worker and job heterogeneity consistent with U.S. worker-flow data. This model implies that employment protection differences plausibly account for most of the long-run unemployment-flow variation across high-income countries. In sharp contrast, shutting down heterogeneity implies that large changes in matching efficiency are required to explain the same cross-country variation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Dinan, Shannon & Normand Boucher (2023): Disability and Employment Policy in Canada: National Policy Variation for Working Age Individuals. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 52, S. 719-739. DOI:10.1017/S0047279421000878

Abstract

"This article analyses and compares disability policies for working-age individuals in Canada with a focus on the mode of policy provision and type of measure to determine the degree to which direct funding is used in this country. To consider policy diversity in this federal system, policies are compared using a mixed-methods approach. Using quantitative methods, federal, provincial and territorial policies are first compared using hierarchical cluster analysis. This provides evidence of three distinct clusters in Canada according to policy provision and measure type. In a second, qualitative analysis, the disability strategies of four provinces’ (British Columbia, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec) are compared, to determine over arching policy orientations. Findings indicate that policy provision in Canada largely favours money over services. Furthermore, most provinces emphasize either health or integration measures over substantive measures. Despite these commonalities, significant variation persists across Canada. This extends to poverty and disability reduction strategies with two of the four provinces having a broader orientation while the other two provinces focus specifically on employment as a means of social inclusion. The article concludes with a discussion on the state of employment policies for individuals with a disability in Canada." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Garcia-Cabo, Joaquin, Anna Lipinska & Gaston Navarro (2023): Sectoral shocks, reallocation, and labor market policies. In: European Economic Review, Jg. 156. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2023.104494

Abstract

"Unemployment insurance and wage subsidies are key tools to support labor markets in recessions. We develop a multisector search-and-matching model with on-the-job human capital accumulation to study labor market policy responses to sector-specific shocks. Our calibration accounts for structural differences in labor markets between the United States and the euro area, including a lower job-finding rate in the latter. We use the model to evaluate unemployment insurance and wage subsidy policies in recessions of different duration. After a temporary sector-specific shock, unemployment insurance improves reallocation toward productive sectors at the cost of initially higher unemployment and, thus, human capital destruction. By contrast, wage subsidies reduce unemployment and preserve human capital at the cost of limiting reallocation. In the United States, unemployment insurance is preferred to wage subsidies when it does not distort job creation for too long. In the euro area, wage subsidies are preferred, given the lower job-finding rate and reallocation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Guo, Angela, Pawel Krolikowski & Meifeng Yang (2023): Displaced workers and the pandemic recession. In: Economics Letters, Jg. 226. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2023.111071

Abstract

"Workers displaced during the pandemic recession experienced better earnings and employment outcomes than workers displaced during previous recessions. A sharp recovery in aggregate labor market conditions after the pandemic recession accounts for these better outcomes. The industry and occupation composition of displaced workers, the prevalence of recalls, and increased take-up of unemployment insurance benefits are unlikely explanations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Holzer, Harry J. (2023): Can Workforce Development Help Us Reach Full Employment? (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16624), Bonn, 24 S.

Abstract

"In this paper, I review the potential of workforce development programs to help the US get closer to "full employment." First, I provide some background on workforce development in the US, and also on the aggregate employment/labor force issues that workforce programs may or may not address. Then I review the empirical evidence on job training and other forms of workforce development, in terms of impacts on employment (as opposed to earnings). I briefly consider how the US experience in this regard compares and contrasts with that of other countries in the EU or OECD, and what we might learn from them. I conclude that more and better workforce development could help somewhat to achieve lower unemployment and higher labor force participation in the US, though we also need a range of other policies to achieve these goals." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hornstein, Andreas, Marios Karabarbounis & Andre Kurmann (2023): Disincentive Effects of Unemployment Insurance Benefits. (Working paper series / Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond 2023-11), Richmond, VA, 65 S. DOI:10.21144/wp23-11

Abstract

"Unemployment insurance (UI) acts both as a disincentive for labor supply and as a demand stimulus which may explain why empirical studies often find limited effects of UI on employment. This paper provides independent estimates of the disincentive effects arising from the largest expansion of UI in U.S. history, the pandemic unemployment benefits. Using high-frequency data on small restaurants and retailers from Homebase, we control for local demand effects by comparing neighboring businesses that largely share the positive impact of UI stimulus. We find that employment in low-wage businesses recovered more slowly than employment in high-wage businesses in labor markets with larger differences in the relative generosity of pandemic UI benefits. According to a labor search model that replicates the estimated employment differences between low- and high-wage businesses, the disincentive effects from the pandemic UI programs held back the aggregate employment recovery by 4.7 percentage points between April and December 2020." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Kim, Jaeyoung, Katherine Inge, Beth Keeton, Tim Riesen, Yazmin Castruita-Rios & Timothy N. Tansey (2023): Use of Customized Employment in State Vocational Rehabilitation Programs: A Retrospective Study 2017–2020. In: Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, Jg. 66, H. 3, S. 186-194. DOI:10.1177/00343552221140335

Abstract

"The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of customized employment via an analysis using the U.S. Rehabilitation Services Administration Case Service Report (RSA-911) from Federal Fiscal Years of 2017 through 2020. The independent variables were demographics, barriers to employment, and types of state vocational rehabilitation agency (SVRA) services, and the dependent variables were competitive integrated employment status and weekly earnings at exit. Descriptive analyses, multiple logistic regression, and hierarchical multiple regression comprised data analysis. The study sample (N = 2,280) was 57.9% male and 42.1% female and had a mean age of 32.69 years (SD = 12.83). Seventy-seven percent identified themselves as White and 46.7% had a cognitive disability. The results of this study indicated that consumers who have cognitive disability and cultural barriers; are migrant farmworkers and/or dependents; and receive job placement assistance, short-term job supports, maintenance services, benefits counseling, and supported employment are more likely to get competitive integrated employment at exit (R2 = .34). Multiple variables were found to be significantly related to weekly earnings at exit and explained 24% of the variance. Rehabilitation counselors should take into consideration the findings of this study to determine from which supports consumers may benefit to attain successful employment goals, particularly for customized employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Schludi, Martin; Bob Gregory (interviewte Person) (2023): The first six months expenditure for the Australian JobKeeper scheme lifted total national government expenditure by one quarter (Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic). (Interview with Bob Gregory). In: IAB-Forum H. 31.10.2023 Nürnberg. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20231031.02

Abstract

"Während der Covid-19-Krise führte Australien groß angelegte und leicht umzusetzende Lohnkostenzuschüsse ein. Dieses „JobKeeper-Programm” sollte Entlassungen verhindern. Die Unterschiede zu den europäischen Kurzarbeitsprogrammen sind jedoch frappierend. Im Interview für das IAB-Forum gibt Bob Gregory, emeritierter Professor der Australian National University, Einblicke in den australischen Ansatz und skizziert mögliche Lehren für andere Länder." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Schludi, Martin; Bob Gregory (interviewte Person) (2023): Die Ausgaben für das australische JobKeeper-Programm haben die staatlichen Gesamtausgaben in den ersten sechs Monaten um ein Viertel erhöht (Serie Kurzarbeit: Internationale Erfahrungen während der Covid-19-Krise ). (Interview mit Bob Gregory). In: IAB-Forum H. 31.10.2023 Nürnberg. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20231031.01

Abstract

"Während der Covid-19-Krise führte Australien groß angelegte und leicht umzusetzende Lohnkostenzuschüsse ein. Dieses „JobKeeper-Programm” sollte Entlassungen verhindern. Die Unterschiede zu den europäischen Kurzarbeitsprogrammen sind jedoch frappierend. Im Interview für das IAB-Forum gibt Bob Gregory, emeritierter Professor der Australian National University, Einblicke in den australischen Ansatz und skizziert mögliche Lehren für andere Länder." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Walter, Timo (2023): German labor market reform and the rise of Eastern Europe: dissecting their effects on employment. In: Empirica, Jg. 50, H. 2, S. 351-387. DOI:10.1007/s10663-023-09569-w

Abstract

"From the early 1990s until 2005 the unemployment rate rose in Germany from 7.3 to 11.7%. While the unemployment rate reached its peak in 2005, it decreased steadily in the following years. The fourth stage of the German labor market reform (Hartz IV) was implemented in 2005 with the intent to cut the unemployment rate. This paper investigates the employment and welfare effects of the Hartz IV reform. Moreover, I am interested in the employment impact of German labor market reform due the rise of the East, which is the productivity increase in Germany and Eastern Europe that has fostered joint fast-growing trade. The focus lies on the national and county level (including 402 counties). As the effects on regional labor markets differ and take time, the paper builds on the dynamic and spatial trade model of Caliendo et al. (2019). I find that the Hartz IV reform is responsible for a 25% drop in unemployment, with a particular impact on eastern German counties. The rise of the East leads to an additional positive contribution to the labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

Zitatform

Autor, David, David Cho, Leland D. Crane, Mita Goldar, Byron Lutz, Joshua K. Montes, William B. Peterman, David D. Ratner, Daniel Villar Vallenas & Ahu Yildirmaz (2022): The $800 Billion Paycheck Protection Program: Where Did the Money Go and Why Did it Go There? (NBER working paper 29669), Cambridge, Mass, 46 S. DOI:10.3386/w29669

Abstract

"The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provided small businesses with roughly $800 billion dollars in uncollateralized, low-interest loans during the pandemic, almost all of which will be forgiven. With 93 percent of small businesses ultimately receiving one or more loans, the PPP nearly saturated its market in just two months. We estimate that the program cumulatively preserved between 2 and 3 million job-years of employment over 14 months at a cost of $170K to $257K per job-year retained. These estimates imply that only 23 to 34 percent of PPP dollars went directly to workers who would otherwise have lost jobs; the balance flowed to business owners and shareholders, including creditors and suppliers of PPP-receiving firms. Program incidence was highly regressive, with about three-quarters of PPP funds accruing to the top quintile of households. This compares unfavorably to the other two major pandemic aid programs, enhanced UI benefits and Economic Impact Payments (i.e. stimulus checks). PPP's breakneck scale-up, its high cost per job saved, and its regressive incidence have a common origin: PPP was essentially untargeted because the United States lacked the administrative infrastructure to do otherwise. The more targeted pandemic business aid programs deployed by other high-income countries exemplify what is feasible with better administrative systems. Building similar capacity in the U.S. would enable greatly improved targeting of either employment subsidies or business liquidity when the next pandemic or other large-scale economic emergency occurs, as it surely will." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Binder, Barbara & Andreas Haupt (2022): The fundamental role of tax systems in the relationship between workfare and inequality in the lower half of the income distribution. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 80. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2022.100712

Abstract

"In recent decades, many affluent democracies moved from traditional welfare states to workfare systems. Meanwhile, income inequality developed differently across countries, even when they made apparently similar shifts from welfare to workfare. It is a matter of debate why welfare state change had such heterogeneous consequences across countries. This article proposes that different incentives to take up low-wage work set by tax reforms in the wake of welfare-to-workfare transitions alter consequences on inequality in the lower half of the income distribution. To support this argument, we contrast the trends between the U.S. and Germany. The German and U.S. tax systems were used in very different ways to incentivize low-wage work. The U.S. provided strong incentives to take up low-wage, high-hour work through refundable tax credits. They act as in-work subsidies and represent an enormous public income support program. In contrast, in Germany, payroll taxes were reduced for marginal employment. These jobs were intended to serve as a stepping stone to full employment. Germany aimed to reduce barriers to labor market entry, but did not increase subsidies for those working higher hours in low-wage jobs. We hypothesize that the German path led to increased income inequality within the lower half of the income distribution, whereas the large U.S. tax-based subsidies in the U.S. significantly counteracted it. Decompositions of unconditional quantile regressions based on the SOEP and the CPS-ASEC for 1992 and 2014 strongly support these assumptions. Households with no labor market integration lost ground with the workfare reforms in both countries, increasing inequality in the lower half. However, U.S. households that conformed to the new workfare system by taking low-wage jobs received additional after-tax income through tax cuts and credits. This additional income of the beneficiary households increased the percentile values between the 10th and 30th percentiles by about 6 per cent, thus reducing income inequality in the lower half. Germany, on the contrary, lacked such compensatory subsidies for compliant households. Thus, increased take-up of low-wage work was associated with an increase in income inequality in the lower half. We conclude that tax systems are important in understanding why the shift towards workfare was associated with heterogeneous trends in income inequality across countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Davern, Eamonn (2022): European Network of Public Employment Services: PES support to recovery. Thematic paper. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 22 S. DOI:10.2767/847911

Abstract

"This paper provides an overview of the key questions and issues for Public Employment Services in determining how best to assist labour market recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws upon existing promising practices and academic research, as well as the discussions held in a Thematic Review Workshop in the Network on 9-10 November 2021. Member States have introduced a wide range of measures to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on employment. Despite these initiatives the longer-term challenges from structural labor market changes remain. The report highlights that to further succeed, PES need to learn from emergency measures applied during the crisis, identifying those which could be adopted for permanent use, consistently reviewing their institutional strength and corporate resilience. This will require agility with rapid responses to emerging trends, sufficient capacity, appropriate tools, and required competencies to support unemployed people through profound labour market changes. Liaison with partners will become increasingly important and need to be regularly reviewed to identify where new partnerships are needed. PES will need to support improved labor market function through promoting employment in growing sectors of the economy, particularly digital and green jobs, facilitating occupational and geographical mobility, including through training and upskilling, and supporting the agenda for longer working lives." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Ferragina, Emanuele & Federico Danilo Filetti (2022): Labour market protection across space and time: A revised typology and a taxonomy of countries' trajectories of change. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 32, H. 2, S. 148-165. DOI:10.1177/09589287211056222

Abstract

"We measure and interpret the evolution of labour market protection across 21 high-income countries over three decades, employing as conceptual foundations the ‘regime varieties’ and ‘trajectories of change’ developed by Esping-Andersen, Estevez-Abe, Hall and Soskice, and Thelen. We measure labour market protection considering four institutional dimensions – employment protection, unemployment protection, income maintenance and activation – and the evolution of the workforce composition. This measurement accounts for the joint evolution of labour market institutions, their complementarities and their relation to outcomes, and mitigate the unrealistic Average Production Worker assumption. We handle the multi-dimensional nature of labour market protection with Principal Component Analysis and capture the characteristics of countries’ trajectories of change with a composite score. We contribute to the literature in three ways. (1) We portray a revised typology that accounts for processes of change between 1990 and 2015, and that clusters regime varieties on the basis of coordination and solidarity levels, that is, Central/Northern European, Southern European, liberal. (2) We illustrate that, despite a persistent gap, a large majority of Coordinated Market Economies experiencing a decline in the level of labour market protection became more similar to Liberal Market Economies. (3) We develop a fivefold taxonomy of countries’ trajectories of change (liberalization, dualization, flexibility, de-dualization and higher protection), showing that these trajectories are not always path-dependent and consistent with regime varieties previously developed in the literature." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Spiritus, Kevin, Etienne Lehmann, Sander Renes & Floris Zoutman (2022): Optimal Taxation with Multiple Incomes and Types. (CESifo working paper 9534), München, 53 S.

Abstract

"We analyze the optimal nonlinear income tax schedule when taxpayers earn multiple incomes and differ along many unobserved dimensions. We derive the necessary conditions for the government’s optimum using both a tax perturbation and a mechanism design approach, and show that both methods produce the same results. Our main contribution is to propose a numerical method to find the optimal tax schedule. Applied to the optimal taxation of couples, we find that optimal isotax curves are very close to linear and parallel. The slope of isotax curves is strongly affected by the relative tax-elasticity of male and female income. We make several additional contributions, including a test for Pareto efficiency and a condition on primitives that ensures the government’s necessary conditions are sufficient and the solution to the problem is unique." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Benda, Luc, Ferry Koster & Romke van der Veen (2019): Levelling the playing field? Active labour market policies, educational attainment and unemployment. In: The International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Jg. 39, H. 3/4, S. 276-295. DOI:10.1108/IJSSP-08-2018-0138

Abstract

"The purpose of this paper is to investigate how active labour market policy (ALMP) training programmes and hiring subsidies increase or decrease differences in the unemployment risk between lesser and higher educated people during an economic downturn. A focus is put on potential job competition dynamics and cumulative (dis)advantages of the lesser and higher educated" (Author's abstract, © Emerald Group) ((en))

Zitatform

Bown, Chad P. & Caroline Freund (2019): Active labor market policies. Lessons from other countries for the United States. (Working paper / Peterson Institute for International Economics 2019-02), Washington, DC, 12 S.

Abstract

"US labor force participation has been weak in recent decades, especially during the recovery of the financial crisis of 2007 - 09. This paper examines several programs that governments in other advanced industrial countries have established to help jobless workers continue to seek employment, not drop out of the labor force, and ultimately find jobs. These programs more actively support out-of-work citizens by facilitating matches between workers and firms, helping workers in their job searches, and sometimes creating jobs when none are available in the private sector. The evidence presented in this paper concludes that job placement services, training, wage subsidies, and other labor adjustment policies can be used to successfully help workers find employment and remain tied to the labor market. By contrast, direct job creation through public works projects and other government programs are less effective in helping workers over the long run." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Gómez, Marcos & Francisco Parro (2019): Unintended displacement effects of youth training programs in a directed search model. In: Journal of labor research, Jg. 40, H. 2, S. 230-247. DOI:10.1007/s12122-019-09284-1

Zitatform

Schwandt, Hannes & Till M. von Wachter (2019): Unlucky cohorts: Estimating the long-term effects of entering the labor market in a recession in large cross-sectional data sets. In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 37, H. S1, S. S161-S198. DOI:10.1086/701046

Abstract

"This paper studies the differential persistent effects of initial economic conditions for labor market entrants in the United States from 1976 to 2015 by education, gender, and race using labor force survey data. We find persistent earnings and wage reductions, especially for less advantaged entrants, that increases in government support only partly offset. We confirm that the results are unaffected by selective migration and labor market entry by also using a double-weighted average unemployment rate at labor market entry for each birth cohort and state-of-birth cell based on average state migration rates and average cohort education rates from census data." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Afonso, Óscar, Ana Maria Bandeira & Manuela Magalhães (2018): Labour-market institutions, (un)employment, wages, and growth. Theory and data. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 50, H. 6, S. 613-633. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2017.1332748

Abstract

"We analyse the implications of labour-market institutions on wage inequality in favour of skilled labour, on relative unemployment of unskilled labour, and on the economic growth rate in two clusters resulting from 27 OECD countries: Cluster 1, closely related with the Anglo-Saxon model, and Cluster 2, dominated by the Continental-European model. By linking the unskilled wage to the skilled one in Cluster 2, due to the indexation of social benefits to per-capita income, we accommodate the observed paths of the three variables in both clusters between 1991 and 2008: Cluster 1 presents a higher wage inequality in favour of skilled labour, a lower unemployment of the unskilled labour, and a better economic growth rate." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Card, David, Jochen Kluve & Andrea Weber (2018): What works? A meta analysis of recent active labor market program evaluations. In: Journal of the European Economic Association, Jg. 16, H. 3, S. 894-931. DOI:10.1093/jeea/jvx028

Abstract

"We summarize the estimates from over 200 recent studies of active labor market programs. We classify the estimates by type of program and participant group, and distinguish between three different post-program time horizons. Using regression models for the estimated program effect (for studies that model the probability of employment) and for the sign and significance of the estimated effect (for all the studies in our sample) we conclude that: (1) average impacts are close to zero in the short run, but become more positive 2 - 3 years after completion of the program; (2) the time profile of impacts varies by type of program, with larger average gains for programs that emphasize human capital accumulation; (3) there is systematic heterogeneity across participant groups, with larger impacts for females and participants who enter from long term unemployment; (4) active labor market programs are more likely to show positive impacts in a recession." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

Zitatform

Carriero, Andrea, Todd E. Clark & Massimiliano Marcellino (2018): Measuring uncertainty and its impact on the economy. In: The Review of Economics and Statistics, Jg. 100, H. 5, S. 799-815. DOI:10.1162/rest_a_00693

Abstract

"We propose a new model for measuring uncertainty and its effects on the economy, based on a large vector autoregression with stochastic volatility driven by common factors representing macroeconomic and financial uncertainty. The uncertainty measures reflect changes in both the conditional mean and volatility of the variables, and their impact on the economy can be assessed within the same framework. Estimates with U.S. data show substantial commonality in uncertainty, with sizable effects of uncertainty on key macroeconomic and financial variables. However, historical decompositions show a limited role of uncertainty shocks in macroeconomic fluctuations." (Author's abstract, © MIT Press Journals) ((en))

Zitatform

González-Alegre, Juan (2018): Active labour market policies and the efficiency of the European Social Fund in Spanish regions. In: Regional Studies. Journal of the Regional Studies Association, Jg. 52, H. 3, S. 430-443.

Abstract

"In diesem Beitrag werden die Determinanten von staatlichen Ausgaben für aktive Arbeitsmarktpolitik auf regionaler Ebene mithilfe der Paneldaten einer Stichprobe von 17 spanischen Regionen (1989 - 2010) untersucht. Bei den Schätzungen werden die Endogenität, die Dynamik und die räumliche Abhängigkeit zwischen Regionen berücksichtigt. Die Ergebnisse der Schätzungen werden mithilfe eines einfachen theoretischen Modells von Finanzausgleichszahlungen interpretiert. Aus den Ergebnissen geht hervor, dass der Europäische Sozialfonds das Ziel der Förderung von Ausgaben für aktive Arbeitsmarktpolitik nicht wirksam erreicht und dass Rent-Seeking beim Wettbewerb zwischen Regionen zum Erhalt von Mitteln aus einem gemeinsamen Pool das Gegenteil bewirkt, was sich im Fall von Imitationen noch verschlechtert." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Michaelides, Marios & Peter Mueser (2018): Are reemployment services effective? Experimental evidence from the Great Recession. In: Journal of policy analysis and management, Jg. 37, H. 3, S. 546-570. DOI:10.1002/pam.22063

Zitatform

Murtin, Fabrice & Jean-Marc Robin (2018): Labor market reforms and unemployment dynamics. In: Labour economics, Jg. 50, H. March, S. 3-19. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2016.05.025

Abstract

"We quantify the contribution of labor market reforms to unemployment dynamics in nine OECD countries (Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK, US). We estimate a dynamic stochastic search-matching model with heterogeneous workers and aggregate productivity shocks. The heterogeneous-worker mechanism proposed by Robin (2011) explains unemployment volatility by productivity shocks well in all countries. Placement and employment services, UI benefit reduction and product market deregulation are found to be the most prominent policy levers for unemployment reduction. Business cycle shocks and LMPs explain about the same share of unemployment volatility (except for Japan, Portugal and the US)." (Author's abstract, © 2016 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Novella, Rafael, Graciana Rucci, Claudia Vazquez & David S. Kaplan (2018): Training vouchers and labour market outcomes in Chile. In: Labour, Jg. 32, H. 2, S. 243-260. DOI:10.1111/labr.12115

Abstract

"This paper evaluates the impact of a training voucher programme in Chile, called Bono Trabajador Activo, on two labour market outcomes: monthly earnings and employment probabilities. Using detailed administrative datasets of the National Employment Service and the unemployment insurance system, we combine matching and difference-in-difference estimators to measure these effects up to five years after the application to the programme. Our main results indicate that the voucher has an overall positive impact on earnings, on the order of 3.2 per cent, and a small negative impact on formal employment. We find that the programme particularly improves earnings for less educated workers." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

Zitatform

Rasmussen, Erling & Michael Fletcher (2018): Employment relations reforms and NewZzealand's 'Productivity Paradox'. In: Australian Journal of Labour Economics, Jg. 21, H. 1, S. 75-92.

Abstract

"In Australia, it has been debated whether the Fair Work Act (FWA) has a negative or positive impact on productivity growth. Likewise, in New Zealand, there has also been considerable interest and debate about that country's so-called 'productivity paradox', though this has yet to be linked to employment relations legislation in recent debates. This is surprising since it has been an explicit aim to raise productivity growth of the two last employment relations reforms. This paper will focus on how employment relations has been supposed to impact on productivity growth during the Employment Contracts Act 1991 and the Employment Relations Act 2000 periods. It will discuss why employment relations reforms have yet to shift the productivity growth and explanations of the 'productivity paradox' so far. This includes how employer attitudes and behaviours may be part of the productivity 'paradox' as well as a brief overview of the research and approaches of the Productivity Commission. The paper suggests that, while employment relations can play a part in lifting productivity levels, what is crucial are contextual factors and how employment relations and other policies combine to reinforce each other." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (2018): Living and working in Europe 2017. (Eurofound yearbook : living and working in Europe), Dublin, IV, 81 S. DOI:10.2806/603802

Abstract

"Living and working in Europe, Eurofound's 2017 yearbook, provides a snapshot of the latest developments in the work and lives of Europeans as recounted in the Agency's research activities over the course of 2017. As economies recover, Eurofound reported on the positive trends in employment, with rising numbers in work and a continued expansion of employment in good jobs. It also provided an updated account of quality of life in Europe post-crisis, showing that on many dimensions Europeans are doing as well as before the crisis, if not better. Challenges remain, nevertheless: labour markets are beset by long-term unemployment, underemployment and high levels of inactivity; quality of life in many dimensions is poor within certain population groups, and disparities between countries are sometimes stark. Eurofound's work provides a reservoir of knowledge to inform policymakers at EU and national levels in addressing such challenges. The yearbook is accompanied by the Consolidated annual activity report of the Authorising Officer for 2017, which is the Agency's formal reporting on operations, staff and budgets." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Barnow, Burt S. & Jeffrey Smith (2015): Employment and training programs. (NBER working paper 21659), Cambrige, Mass., 154 S. DOI:10.3386/w21659

Abstract

"This chapter considers means-tested employment and training programs in the United States. We focus in particular on large, means-tested federal programs, including the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), its successor the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), that program's recent replacement, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the long-running Job Corps program, and the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. The first part of the chapter provides details on program history, organization, expenditures, eligibility rules, services, and participant characteristics. In the second part of the chapter, we discuss the applied econometric methods typically used to evaluate these programs, which in the United States means primarily social experiments and methods such as matching that rely on an assumption of 'selection on observed variables.' The third part of the chapter reviews the literature evaluating these programs, highlighting both methodological and substantive lessons learned as well as open questions. The fourth part of the chapter considers what lessons the evaluation literature provides on program operation, especially how to best allocate particular services to particular participants. The final section concludes with the big picture lessons from this literature and discussion of promising directions for future research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Considine, Mark, Siobhan O'Sullivan, Paolo R. Graziano, Matthias Knuth, Vanesa Fuertes, Katharina Zimmermann, Adam Whitworth, Patrizia Aurich, Rebecca Taylor, Rik van Berkel, Phuc Nguyen, James Rees, Elle Carter, Isabel Shutes, Avishai Benish & Ludo Struyven (2015): Contracting-out welfare services. Comparing national policy designs for unemployment assistance. (Broadening Perspectives on social policy), Chichester: Wiley Blackwell, 173 S.

Abstract

Contracting-out Welfare Services focuses on the design and overhaul of welfare-to-work systems around the world in the light of the radical re-design of the welfare system; internationally based authors utilise a national/program case study, considering employment services policy and activation practices.
Content:
Mark Considine; Siobhan O'Sullivan: Introduction: Contracting out welfare services: comparing national policy designs for unemployment assistance (1-9);
Katharina Zimmermann, Patrizia Aurich, Paolo R. Graziano, Vanesa Fuertes: Local worlds of marketization - employment policies in Germany, Italy and the UK compared (11-32);
Ludo Struyven: Varieties of market competition in public employment services - a comparison of the emergence and evolution of the new system in Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium (33-53);
Mark Considine, Siobhan O'Sullivan, Phuc Nguyen: Governance, Boards of directors and the impact of contracting on not-for-profits organizations - an Australian study (55-74);
Rik van Berkel: Quasi-markets and the delivery of activation - a frontline perspective (75-90);
Isabel Shutes, Rebecca Taylor: Conditionality and the financing of employment services - implications for the social divisions of work and welfare (91-108);
James Rees, Adam Whitworth, Elle Carter: Support for all in the UK work programme? Differential payments, same old problem (109-128);
Matthias Knuth: Broken hierarchies, quasi-markets and supported networks - a governance experiment in the second tier of Germany's Public employment service (129-150);
Avishai Benish: The public accountability of privatized activation - the case of Israel (151-166).

Zitatform

Kuo, Chun-Hung & Hiroaki Miyamoto (2015): Fiscal stimuli in the form of job creation subsidies. In: Journal of macroeconomics, Jg. 43, H. March, S. 267-284. DOI:10.1016/j.jmacro.2014.12.004

Abstract

"This paper examines the effects of fiscal stimuli in the form of job creation subsidies in a DSGE model with search friction and endogenous job separation. We consider two types of job creation subsidies: a subsidy for the cost of posting vacancies and a hiring subsidy. This paper finds that the effects of job creation subsides on unemployment differ between models with and without endogenous job separation. While a positive job creation subsidy shock lowers unemployment in a model without endogenous job separation, it increases unemployment in a model with endogenous job separation. We also find that while qualitatively the effects of a vacancy cost subsidy on the economy are similar to those of a hiring subsidy, quantitatively they are different." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Butschek, Sebastian & Thomas Walter (2014): What active labour market programmes work for immigrants in Europe? A meta-analysis of the evaluation literature. In: IZA journal of migration, Jg. 3, S. 1-18. DOI:10.1186/s40176-014-0023-6

Abstract

"In vielen europäischen Ländern sind Immigranten eine benachteiligte Gruppe auf dem Arbeitsmarkt. Sie sind häufig in Arbeitslosigkeit überrepräsentiert und in Beschäftigung unterrepräsentiert. Um die Beschäftigungschancen von Immigranten zu erhöhen, setzen europäische Regierungen auf vielfältige Maßnahmen der aktiven Arbeitsmarktpolitik. Diese beinhalten Sprach- und Integrationskurse, Unterstützungsmaßnahmen bei der Jobsuche, Trainingsmaßnahmen sowie subventionierte Beschäftigung im öffentlichen und privaten Sektor. Eine wachsende Anzahl an empirischen Evaluationsstudien untersucht die Beschäftigungseffekte dieser arbeitsmarktpolitischen Maßnahmen für Immigranten. Bisher ergibt sich daraus allerdings noch kein klares Bild, welche Maßnahmen für die Arbeitsmarktintegration von Immigranten förderlich sind und welche nicht. Um den politischen Entscheidungsträgern zu helfen, die Maßnahmen effizient einzusetzen, verdichten wir die Ergebnisse der vorhandenen Studien durch eine Meta-Analyse. Eine Meta-Analyse ermöglicht es zu identifizieren, in welchem Maße bestimmte Elemente der zugrunde liegenden Studien (z. B. die untersuchten Maßnahmen, die verwendeten Methoden und Daten) Einfluss auf die Ergebnisse haben, zu denen diese Studien gelangen. In unserer Analyse sind wir am Einfluss des untersuchten Maßnahmentyps auf die Beschäftigungschancen der teilnehmenden Immigranten interessiert. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass nur der Einsatz von Lohnsubventionen im privaten Sektor als beschäftigungswirksam für Immigranten eingestuft werden kann. Die meisten Evaluationsstudien ermitteln für Lohnsubventionen positive Beschäftigungseffekte. Evaluationen von Trainingsmaßnahmen finden hingegen überwiegend insignifikante Effekte. Dasselbe gilt für Unterstützungsmaßnahmen bei der Jobsuche und subventionierte Beschäftigung im öffentlichen Sektor." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Halvorsen, Rune & Bjørn Hvinden (2014): Nordic reforms to improve the labour market participation of vulnerable youth. An effective new approach? In: International social security review, Jg. 67, H. 2, S. 29-47. DOI:10.1111/issr.12037

Abstract

"This article asks how the legitimacy (recognition or misrecognition) of 'ethnicity' and 'disability' influences public policies to promote the inclusion of young adults in the Nordic labour markets. The article assesses the case for seeing misrecognition and lack of accommodation as significant factors behind troubled transitions from school to work, and the case for regarding social regulation (or self-regulation) as important ways of preventing, counteracting and correcting exclusionary factors in the transition from school to work among the two groups. The article argues that increased attention at the implementation stage of the policy process is necessary to be able to assess whether seemingly novel or innovative regulatory policies and measures actually enhance equal opportunities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Barnow, Burt S. & David Greenberg (2013): Replication issues in social experiments: lessons from US labor market programs. In: Journal for labour market research, Jg. 46, H. 3, S. 239-252. DOI:10.1007/s12651-013-0133-2

Abstract

"Bei der Bewertung eines Pilot- oder Testprogramms besteht die Gefahr, aus einem einzelnen Test Rückschlüsse zu ziehen. In dieser Arbeit werden die Erfahrungen mit Wiederholungen von Testprogrammstudien anhand einer randomisierten, kontrollierten Studie für die erstmalige Auswertung und die Wiederholungen besprochen. Auch wenn Wiederholungsstudien vielversprechender Programme primär zur Erhöhung des Stichprobenumfangs durchgeführt werden, dienen sie auch zum Sammeln von Erfahrungswerten dahingehend, ob die Intervention auch bei anderen Zielgruppen und an anderen geografischen Standorten erfolgreich ist, und um einige der Interventionsmerkmale zu variieren. In vielen Fällen sind Wiederholungsstudien nicht so erfolgreich wie die ursprüngliche Erhebung. In dieser Arbeit werden die für ein solches Fehlschlagen vorgebrachten Begründungen besprochen. Außerdem werden die Erfahrungen aus den Wiederholungsstudien unter Anwendung einer randomisierten Zuweisung in sechs Fällen dargelegt: Experimente zur Einkommenssicherung, Experimente zu Bonuszahlungen bei der Arbeitslosenversicherung, Programm des Center for Employment Training, Job-Clubs, Experimente zur Stellensuche und 'Quantum Opportunity'-Programm (Programm für höhere Chancen). Zum Abschluss der Arbeit werden die Erkenntnisse aus der Besprechung zusammengefasst sowie Bereiche aufgezeigt, in denen weitere Forschung notwendig ist." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Frumento, Paolo, Fabrizia Mealli, Barbara Pacini & Donald B. Rubin (2012): Evaluating the effect of training on wages in the presence of noncompliance, nonemployment, and missing outcome data. In: Journal of the American Statistical Association, Jg. 107, H. 498, S. 450-466. DOI:10.1080/01621459.2011.643719

Abstract

"The effects of a job training program, Job Corps, on both employment and wages are evaluated using data from a randomized study. Principal stratification is used to address, simultaneously, the complications of noncompliance, wages that are only partially defined because of nonemployment, and unintendedmissing outcomes. The first two complications are of substantive interest, whereas the third is a nuisance. The objective is to find a parsimonious model that can be used to inform public policy. We conduct a likelihood-based analysis using finite mixture models estimated by the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. We maintain an exclusion restriction assumption for the effect of assignment on employment and wages for noncompliers, but not on missingness. We provide estimates under the 'missing at random' assumption, and assess the robustness of our results to deviations from it. The plausibility of meaningful restrictions is investigated by means of scaled log-likelihood ratio statistics. Substantive conclusions include the following. For compliers, the effect on employment is negative in the short term; it becomes positive in the long term, but these effects are small at best. For always employed compliers, that is, compliers who are employed whether trained or not trained, positive effects on wages are found at all time periods. Our analysis reveals that background characteristics of individuals differ markedly across the principal strata. We found evidence that the program should have been better targeted, in the sense of being designed differently for different groups of people, and specific suggestions are offered. Previous analyses of this dataset, which did not address all complications in a principled manner, led to less nuanced conclusions about Job Corps." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Abstract

"This report on the recent Australian experience with activation policies contains valuable lessons for other countries that need to improve the effectiveness of employment services and control benefit expenditure. It provides overview and assessment of labour market policies in Australia including the main institutions, benefit system, training programmes, employment incentives, and disability employment assistance. Australia is unique among OECD countries in that its mainstream employment services are all delivered by over 100 for-profit and non-profit providers competing in a 'quasi-market', with their operations financed by service fees, employment outcome payments, and a special fund for measures that tackle jobseekers' barriers to employment. In most other OECD countries, these services are delivered by the Public Employment Service. In the mid 2000s, several benefits previously paid without a job-search requirement were closed or reformed, bringing more people into the effective labour force. Australia now has one of the highest employment rates in the OECD and this report concludes that its activation system deserves some of the credit for this relatively good performance. The Job Services Australia model, introduced in 2009, reinforced the focus on employment outcomes for highly-disadvantaged groups. This report assesses the latest model for activation and puts forward some recommendations to improve its effectiveness." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Michaelides, Marios & Jacob Benus (2012): Are self-employment training programs effective? Evidence from Project GATE. In: Labour economics, Jg. 19, H. 5, S. 695-705. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2012.04.004

Abstract

"We examine the efficacy of providing self-employment training to unemployed and other individuals interested in self-employment using data from Project GATE. This experimental design program offered self-employment training services to a random sample of individuals who expressed a strong interest in self-employment. We find that Project GATE was effective in helping unemployed participants to start their own business, leading to significant impacts in self-employment and overall employment soon after program entry. The program also helped unemployed participants remain self-employed and avoid unemployment even five years after program entry.However, the program was not effective in improving the labor market outcomes of participants who were not unemployed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Borland, Jeff & Yi-Ping Tseng (2011): Does 'Work for the Dole' work? An Australian perspective on work experience programmes. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 43, H. 28, S. 4353-4368. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2010.491457

Abstract

"This study examines the effect of Work for the Dole (WfD), a community-based work experience programme, on transitions out of unemployment in Australia. To evaluate the WfD programme, a quasi-experimental exact matching approach is applied. Participation in the WfD programme is found to be associated with a large and significant adverse effect on the likelihood of exiting unemployment payments. The main potential explanation is the existence of a 'lock-in' effect whereby programme participants reduce job search activity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Cray, Adam, Tram Nguyen, Carol Pranka, Christine Schildt, Julie Scheu & Erika Rincon Whitcomb (2011): Job creation. A review of policies and strategies. (IRLE working paper 2011-105), Berkeley, CA, 57 S.

Abstract

"This report provides a broad survey of economic development policies and strategies that seek to create jobs. With the U.S. economy struggling to recover from the Great Recession, job losses and stagnant employment remain pressing challenges across the country and in nearly every community.
Our report is structured according to four major categories through which to view job creation strategies:
Federal- and State-Level Strategies. This category can be thought of as encompassing strategies used to 'grow the economic pie.' They consist of fiscal and investment policies undertaken at the federal or state level to stimulate job creation and economic growth. The primary ways to influence job creation at these levels are: interest rate reductions, government hiring and purchases, infrastructure investments, short-time compensation programs, worker subsidies, and federal hiring credits.
Place-Based Strategies. Much economic development takes place at the local level, with local governments undertaking a range of activities to attract and retain businesses for the purposes of increasing jobs in their locality and increasing the tax base. Local strategies include: provision of local economic data, marketing, tax incentives, industrial protection zones, enterprise zones, and redevelopment areas to target tax benefits and subsidies to businesses in disadvantaged areas.
Business- and Sector-Based Strategies. Which types of firms to target for job creation is an unsettled question. Here, we examine sources of net new job creation through small businesses and high-growth sectors. Specifically, we review subsidized and low-cost loan programs, programs administered by the Small Business Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture, government procurement mandates, business incubators, and green job strategies.
Worker-Based Strategies. Finally, we discuss strategies focused on increasing equity and job quality - through local hire, wage increases, and high road policies - as a critical piece of long-term economic health.
We used three general research methods in preparing and structuring this report: literature review; information gathering from a lecture series and separate interviews with economic development scholars and practitioners; and peer review comments from staff at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California, Berkeley." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Froy, Francesca, Sylvain Giguere, Lucy Pyne & Donna E. Wood (2011): Building flexibility and accountability into local employment services. Synthesis of OECD studies in Belgium, Canada, Denmark and The Netherlands. (OECD Local Economic and Employment Development working papers 2011,10), Paris, 91 S. DOI:10.1787/5kg3mkv3tr21-en

Abstract

"The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and its Local Economic and Employment (LEED) Programme conducted a study on Managing Accountability and Flexibility in Labour Market Policy in four countries: Belgium (Flanders), Canada (Alberta and New Brunswick), Denmark and the Netherlands to identify:
- What degree of flexibility is available at the local and regional level regarding active labour market policy measures?
- How can more flexibility at the local level go together with more effective policy measures while preserving accountability and the achievement of national policy goals?
For this project, the OECD has analysed the management of flexibility and accountability in active labour market regimes in four OECD countries: Canada (looking at the provinces of Alberta and New Brunswick), Belgium (focusing on the region of Flanders), the Netherlands and Denmark. All represent examples of political decentralisation within a multilevel governance structure. Using the same procedure in each country, country experts assessed the balance between flexibility and accountability in the local management of labour market programmes and policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Konle-Seidl, Regina (2011): Use of profiling for resource allocation, action planning and matching. (Profiling systems for effective labour market integration), Brüssel, 21 S.

Abstract

"Profiling is in many European countries part of a customized 'expert system'. These service delivery systems are characterized by 1) profiling as a quantitative (statistical forecasts) or qualitative (structured interviews, capability tests) diagnostic tool to identify clients' risks 2) customer differentiation for giving different customers different access to employment services according to their needs with the aim to target resources. The idea behind customized or personalized services is that individuals differ in their employability and that such employability declines as the duration of non-employment increases. However, in all European Public Employment Services (PES), it's the caseworker who makes the final decision on the services to be provided. This stands in contrast to the US profiling system where 'hard' (statistical) profiling is compulsory for caseworkers and where the results of statistical profiling are the only factor that determines whether a client has to be transferred to further re-employment support.
A review of experiences with profiling in seven countries (Australia, Germany, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the US) show no clear trend, but rather diverging developments in relation to the intensity of using profiling and early intervention strategies. The degree of customer differentiation, as well as the degree of coordination between customer segments and integration measures is very dissimilar across countries. Only few PES (e.g. the German BA and the French Pole d'Emploi) follow a coherent and integrated strategy based on profiling, client segmentation and targeted resource allocation.
Compared to the situation in the mid-2000s, dynamic profiling, i.e. the regular follow-up of the labour market prospects of clients is nowadays mainstream in most countries. Beyond the aim of predicting client needs, there are additional goals linked to profiling and streaming employment services. In countries like Denmark or Germany where UI and non-insured welfare clients are administered now by a single organisation, the aim of providing a common framework for different customer groups has a high priority.
Although there is widespread agreement among researchers and policy makers that prevention and early intervention is the best way of reducing the negative psychological, social and labour market effects of unemployment, only few impact studies have tried to quantify the possible efficiency gains of profiling and early intervention so far. Moreover, there is a general evidence gap in all countries with respect to the impact of different service delivery systems on on/off-flow rates from unemployment or benefit receipt.
Based on the country review, a number of lessons for implementation, i.e. implications for caseworkers and PES managers to further develop profiling and targeting systems can be highlighted. How to balance intensive support with a self-help strategy is a crucial challenge for the years to come. The need for differentiation depends very much on the diversity of client groups the PES is in charge of. However, against the background of stretched budgets, the proof of the cost-effectiveness of labour market programmes and early intervention strategies will be a critical factor." (author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Lacroix, Guy & Dany Brouillette (2011): Assessing the impact of a wage subsidy for single parents on social assistance. In: Canadian Journal of Economics, Jg. 44, H. 4, S. 1195-1221. DOI:10.1111/j.1540-5982.2011.01672.x

Abstract

"This paper studies the impact of a wage subsidy program aimed at long-term social assistance recipients in Quebec. The program closely mimics the Self-Sufficiency Project and was implemented for a trial period of one year in 2002. We focus on the labour market transitions of the targeted population starting one year before the implementation of the program and until the end of 2005. Our results show that the duration of spells off social assistance increased, while the duration of social assistance spells decreased slightly. The response to the program varies considerably with both observed and unobserved characteristics." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Rothstein, Jesse (2011): Unemployment insurance and job search in the Great Recession. (NBER working paper 17534), Cambridge, Mass., 58 S. DOI:10.3386/w17534

Abstract

"Nearly two years after the official end of the 'Great Recession,' the labor market remains historically weak. One candidate explanation is supply-side effects driven by dramatic expansions of Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit durations, to as many as 99 weeks. This paper investigates the effect of these UI extensions on job search and reemployment. I use the longitudinal structure of the Current Population Survey to construct unemployment exit hazards that vary across states, over time, and between individuals with differing unemployment durations. I then use these hazards to explore a variety of comparisons intended to distinguish the effects of UI extensions from other determinants of employment outcomes.
The various specifications yield quite similar results. UI extensions had significant but small negative effects on the probability that the eligible unemployed would exit unemployment, concentrated among the long-term unemployed. The estimates imply that UI benefit extensions raised the unemployment rate in early 2011 by only about 0.1-0.5 percentage points, much less than is implied by previous analyses, with at least half of this effect attributable to reduced labor force exit among the unemployed rather than to the changes in reemployment rates that are of greater policy concern." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))