Active Labor Market Policies in Europe: Performance and Perspectives

Kluve, Jochen; Card, David; Fertig, Michael; Góra, Marek; Jacobi, Lena; Jensen, Peter; Leetmaa, Reelika; Nima, Leonhard; Patacchini, Eleonora; Schaffner, Sandra; Schmidt, Christoph M.; Klaauw, Bas Van Der; Weber, Andrea

ISBN 10: 3642080162 / ISBN 13: 9783642080166

Published by Springer, 2010

In. Seller Inventory # ria9783642080166_new

Synopsis:

Measures of Active Labor Market Policy--such as training, wage subsidies, public employment measures, and job search assistance--are widely used in European countries to combat unemployment. Little, however, is known about what each country can learn from experiences in other countries. This study provides novel insight on this important policy issue by discussing the role of the European Commission's Employment Strategy. It reviews the experiences made in European states and gives a quantitative assessment of the existing cross-country evidence.

Using an innovative meta-analytical approach, the authors find that rather than contextual factors such as labor market institutions or the business cycle, it is almost exclusively the program type that matters for program effectiveness. While direct employment programs in the public sector appear detrimental, wage subsidies and “Services and Sanctions” can be effective in increasing participants' employment probability.

From the Back Cover:

Measures of Active Labor Market Policy - such as training, wage subsidies, public employment measures, and job search assistance - are widely used in European countries to combat unemployment.

Little, however, is known about what each country can learn from experiences in other countries.

This study provides novel insight on this important policy issue by

- discussing the role of the European Commission's Employment Strategy

-  reviewing the experiences made in European states

-  and giving the first ever quantitative

assessment of the existing cross-country evidence, answering the question "what labor market program works for what target group under what (economic and institutional) circumstances?".

Using an innovative meta-analytical approach, the authors find that rather than contextual factors such as labor market institutions or the business cycle, it is almost exclusively the program type that matters for program effectiveness: While direct employment programs in the public sector appear detrimental, wage subsidies and "Services and Sanctions" can be effective in increasing participants' employment probability.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Active Labor Market Policies in Europe: ...
Publisher: Springer
Publication Date: 2010
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: New