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Eppel, Rainer, Ulrike Huemer, Helmut Mahringer & Lukas Schmoigl (2024): Active Labour Market Policies: What Works for the Long-term Unemployed? (WIFO working papers 671), Wien, 22 S.

Abstract

"There is still a lack of knowledge on how to effectively help the long-term unemployed into employment. We evaluate a wide range of active labor market policies for this target group, using a dynamic matching approach. Measures vary considerably in the extent to which they improve labor market prospects. Human capital-intensive training programmes that substantially enhance vocational skills and employment programs are most effective, short activating job search training the least. Our results suggest that not only wage subsidies in the private sector, but also direct job creation in the public and non-profit sector can work, if properly designed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jones, Katy & Calum Carson (2024): A step too far: Employer perspectives on in-work conditionality. In: Journal of European Social Policy online erschienen am 29.02.2024, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1177/09589287241232817

Abstract

"This chapter explores employer perspectives on the extension of behavioural conditionality to working social security claimants (‘in-work conditionality’). As policymakers across Europe and other developed nations have pursued increasingly interventionist approaches to activating the unemployed through conditional welfare policies, the UK has gone a significant and ‘unprecedented’ step further by requiring those in receipt of in-work benefits to demonstrate their efforts to increase their working hours and/or pay. As the actors ultimately in control over the jobs people can access and progress in, understanding employer perspectives on this new policy development is critical, which, however, has so far been overlooked by policymakers and researchers. We address this omission through presenting original analysis of 84 semi-structured interviews conducted with a diverse group of employers. We find that while the UK’s Work First approach to activation has seemingly encountered little resistance from employers to date, this new Work First, Work More approach may be a step too far. We contribute theoretically by identifying a potential role for employers as latent path disruptors in policy development, and challenge the commonly-held assumption that employers are typically supportive of extensions of behavioural conditionality to social security claimants." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Laín, Bru & Albert Julià (2024): Why Do Poor People Not Take up Benefits? Evidence from the Barcelona's B-MINCOME Experiment. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 53, S. 167-188. DOI:10.1017/S0047279422000575

Abstract

"Non-take-up, i.e. individuals not applying for a benefit they are eligible for, is a widespread problem limiting the reach of welfare and protection systems. This paper seeks to understand it by means of a theoretical framework comprising two levels of analysis: the claimants’ individual characteristics in relation to the information barriers they face, and the administrative logic and functioning regarding the communications strategy used by public institutions. To test the hypotheses of these two levels of analysis, the paper analyses the B-MINCOME pilot scheme, a cash transfer programme implemented in the city of Barcelona between 2017 and 2019. Findings indicate that, although claimants’ characteristics may play a significant role, the administrative functioning and the communications strategy are fundamental in determining take-up rates. The conclusions briefly address some of the technical and moral concerns raised by non-take-up." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Möhring, Katja & Céline Teney (2024): Public support for affirmative action policies favouring women and migrants in recruitment processes: An international survey experiment. In: Acta sociologica, Jg. 67, H. 2, S. 215-231. DOI:10.1177/00016993231163416

Abstract

"Affirmative action policies (AAP) polarise the public debate in Western democracies as they involve favouring one candidate at the cost of others because of their group membership. Against this backdrop, we ran a factorial survey experiment in Denmark, France and Germany on the introduction of a hypothetical regulation favouring women and immigrants with equal qualifications in the recruitment process for a management position (N = 4264; YouGov online panel). Our data show that support for AAP for women is significantly greater than for immigrants in all three countries. Moreover, support for AAP is much higher in France than in Germany and Denmark. Germans and Danes show similar low support for AAP for immigrants, while support for AAP for women is higher in Germany than Denmark. We conducted multilevel regression models to investigate the power of several attitudinal factors in explaining target group and country differences. Results show that respondents’ varying levels of ethnic and gender prejudice and perceived disadvantage entirely explain target group differences in support for AAP. Furthermore, differences between Germany and Denmark in the support of AAP for women are explained by different levels of prejudices and perceived disadvantage, and attitudes towards state intervention. However, these attitudinal variables cannot explain why support for AAP is much higher in France." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Nielsen, Stine Piilgaard Porner & Ole Hammerslev (Hrsg.) (2024): Transformations of European Welfare States and Social Rights. Regulation, Professionals, and Citizens. (Palgrave Socio-Legal Studies), Cham: Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, X, 226 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-031-46637-3

Abstract

"This open access edited book investigates European social rights in practice from socio-legal perspectives. It brings together fourteen socio-legal scholars, representing Nordic and Western European countries, who analyze different aspects pertaining to European social rights, namely the regulation of social rights, encounters between welfare professionals and citizens, and citizens' mobilization of social rights. These three different aspects from the structure for the sections in the anthology, each analyzing transformations related to regulation, encounters and rights mobilization. The book contributes to the existing literature as it focuses on interdependent transformations on macro, meso and micro levels which are key for understanding processes and contexts related to European social rights in practice. It speaks particularly to academics in sociology of law and/or regulation. Stine Piilgaard Porner Nielsen is Postdoc in the Department of Law at University of Southern Denmark. Ole Hammerslev is Professor of Sociology of Law at Lund University, Sweden." (Provided by publisher)

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Reeves, Aaron, Mark Fransham, Kitty Stewart, Mary Reader & Ruth Patrick (2024): Capping welfare payments for workless families increases employment and economic inactivity: Evidence from the UK's benefit cap. In: International Journal of Social Welfare online erschienen am 20.02.2024. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12651

Abstract

"In this paper, we examine the labor market effects of lowering the UK's benefit cap in 2016. This policy limits the total amount a working‐age non‐disabled household with no‐one in employment can receive in social security. We treat the sharp reduction in this benefit cap as a natural experiment, comparing those at risk of being capped and those who were not before and after the cap was lowered. Drawing on data from ~500,000 individuals, we find that this reform reduced unemployment compared to those not at risk of being capped. The reform also increased economic inactivity, partly because the cap harmed mental health but also because those at risk of being capped were eligible to claim disability‐related welfare payments that made them exempt. Limiting total monthly welfare payments of low‐income families may increase employment for some but it can also push others out of the labor market altogether." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Robertshaw, David Keith (2024): Lost in Categorisation? Employment Subsidies – Bringing the Beneficiaries Back In. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 53, S. 86-106. DOI:10.1017/S0047279422000216

Abstract

"Employment subsidies are important active labor market policy (ALMP) tools, suited to a variety of labor market challenges. This paper engages with recent ALMP categorisation debates by appraising Cronert’s (2019) recent typology of employment subsidies. It uses empirical material to assess the typology’s explanatory power and produce insights to inform further typological development. The illustrative case of the British ‘ Wage Incentive’ (2012-2014) is used to assess the typology’s analytical purchase. Cronert’s typology helpfully identifies key distinctions in the distributional profiles of employment subsidies, but further understanding of the category is impeded by the practice of defining them as demand-side interventions. The paper argues for a reappraisal of their supply-side characteristics, maintaining that the (potential) worker should be included in the analysis, and that employment subsidies’ relationship with training and job creation should be acknowledged.It proposes a redefinition of employment subsidies reflecting their real-world use, and suggests a framework for further exploring varieties of employment subsidy design from the perspective of beneficiaries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Rovelli, Riccardo (2024): Labor market institutions and policies in old and new EU members. (IZA world of labor 222,2), Bonn, 12 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.222.v2

Abstract

"Old and new EU member states still adopt quite different labor market institutions and policies: convergence has been partial and limited. Nevertheless, a new agreement is spreading on the importance of well-developed, coordinated institutions, supported by social dialogue, in view of the increasing challenges posed by the macro economy and by the increasing fragmentation of labor markets." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Van Gerven, Minna, Tuuli Malava, Peppi Saikku & Merita Mesiäislehto (2024): Towards a new era in the governance of integrated activation: A systematic review of the literature on the governance of welfare benefits and employment-related services in Europe (2010–21). In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 58, H. 3, S. 329-343. DOI:10.1111/spol.12960

Abstract

"This article presents the results of a systematic literature review of research articles (N = 72) to study the governance logic of integrated activation policies and the problems relating to reintegrating welfare benefits with services. The inductive study of the problems indicated in the literature demonstrates both the vertical and horizontal aspects of the governance of integrated activation at the street level: challenges are tied to the top-down activation policy; requirements and strategies of delivering benefits and services; collaboration and coordination in delivery chains; and risks and inequality that streel-level bureaucrats are trying to deal with in their work. The results point primarily to flaws in the vertical governance of activation, such as frontline work problems and collaborative practices between different actors and agencies. Moreover, some problems relating to collaboration and coordination, pointed towards the challenges in horizontal governance of activation. The article, however, demonstrates how the governance of integrated activation requires a coupling of these different streams of governance and understanding governance as a complex network of interdependencies and causal connections between institutions, organisations, and co-production with end users." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Yu, Yip-Ching (2024): Precarious welfare-to-work transitions in a segmented labour market: Evidence from the Netherlands. In: International Journal of Social Welfare, Jg. 33, H. 1, S. 151-177. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12591

Abstract

"Promoting outflow from the welfare system has been one of the main objectives of activation-focused welfare reforms implemented across Europe over the past decades, with the underlying assumption that labour market attachment is the route to self-sufficiency. This article assesses this assumption by investigating the extent to which the propensities and determinants of welfare persistence and cycling are differential for native and second-generation young adults located in the opposite ends of labour market structure. Using panel administrative data from the Statistics Netherlands (CBS), it follows the welfare-to-work transitions of Dutch native and second-generation young adults in the Netherlands during a 6-year observation period (2010–2015). Simultaneous effects of labour market segmentation and ethnic penalty are modelled using a first-order Markov transition model that accounts for endogeneities from initial conditions and unobserved heterogeneity. The results suggest that welfare exit is not a good predictor of self-sufficiency in the Dutch context, and there are differential prospects for achieving and sustaining self-sufficiency among Dutch native and second-generation young adults. A considerable degree of welfare persistence in the medium term and welfare cycling in the long term are found among individuals who had fallen out of self-sufficiency. Such patterns of precarious welfare-to-work transitions are particularly common among non-Dutch workers employed in the secondary labour market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Bastiaans, Mareen, Robert Dur & Anne C. Gielen (2023): Activating the Long-Term Inactive: Labor Market and Mental Health Effects. (Discussion paper / Tinbergen Institute 2023-003/V), Amsterdam u.a., 73 S.

Abstract

"In many Western countries, a sizeable group of people live on welfare benefits for a long time. Many of them suffer from mental health issues. This paper studies the labor market and mental health effects of an activation program targeting these long-term inactive people. We exploit the staggered implementation of the program in a difference-in-differences design. We find that the activation program hardly affects labor market outcomes. However, for those on mental health medication prior to the start of the program, the use of mental health medication substantially drops in the years following the start of the program. This effect is particularly pronounced for men. We also study spillover effects on the children of those targeted by the program, finding some suggestive evidence for improved learning and mental health outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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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))

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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))

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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))

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Davoine, Thomas (2023): Flexicurity, education and optimal labour market policies. In: Labour, Jg. 37, H. 4, S. 592-625. DOI:10.1111/labr.12255

Abstract

"The paper provides a theoretical rationale for flexicurity policies, consisting of low employment protection, generous unemployment insurance and active labor market programmes. Education efforts give access to high productivity firms, more likely to survive and thus exposing less their workers to unemployment risk. Activation programmes support reallocation from risky and unproductive to safer and more productive firms, reducing unemployment. Low employment protection can provide incentives for self-insurance against unemployment risk through education, mitigating the moral hazard cost of unemployment insurance and activation programmes. The paper identifies conditions for flexicurity to be optimal and confronts theoretical predictions to the data." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Destefanis, Sergio, Matteo Fragetta & Nazzareno Ruggiero (2023): Active and passive labor-market policies: the outlook from the Beveridge curve. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 55, H. 55, S. 6538-6550. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2022.2159010

Abstract

"Following a panel ARDL approach, we appraise the impact of various indicators of active and passive labor-market policies within the framework of the Beveridge curve across fourteen OECD countries from 1985 to 2013, controlling for other factors, both institutional (tax wedge) and structural (technological progress, globalization). We embed the role of these variables within the specification of the Beveridge curve, finding that the generosity of unemployment benefits has a detrimental impact on labor-market matching, with the duration of benefits and the strictness of the rules pertaining to the deployment of benefits taking a key role in driving this result. Among active labor-market policies, employment incentives and especially training have a favourable effect on matching. There is evidence of a virtuous interaction between active and passive policies. A significantly detrimental role emerges for the tax wedge. These results are consistent across various specifications, and structural relationships are stable throughout the 2008–2013 period." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Frericks, Patricia & Martin Gurín (2023): Family as a redistributive principle of welfare states: An international comparison. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 33, H. 1, S. 52-66. DOI:10.1177/09589287221115670

Abstract

"Educational gradients in parental leave length are opposite for women and men: highly educated women return to work faster than those with low education while highly educated men are absent longer than less educated men. Explanations for the opposite gradients are typically made at the individual- or couple-level. To date, no quantitative study has documented whether the opposite educational gradients hold also within workplaces. In this study, we use employer-employee matched Swedish register data with fixed-effects models to examine whether the educational gradient applies also among co-workers in the same workplace. The results show that three-quarters of the educational effect typically attributed to the individual father disappeared when comparing fathers within workplaces. The educational gradient of mothers remained largely unchanged. These findings provide the first population-level evidence for the primacy of the workplace in determining fathers? care choices." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gallo, Giovanni & Michele Raitano (2023): SOS incomes: simulated effects of COVID-19 and emergency benefits on individual and household income distribution in Italy. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 33, H. 1, S. 101-116. DOI:10.1177/09589287221115672

Abstract

"Many countries have been working on revising their long-term care (LTC) policies to meet the increasing demand for care. Generally, little attention is paid to the potential (unintended) consequences of LTC policies for inequality among care users or informal caregivers. Saraceno previously explicitly argued that differences in care use and provision depend on the type of LTC policy, and that policies with contrasting consequences for inequality can be implemented at the same time. We call upon future research to empirically test the impact of different types of LTC policies on socio-economic inequalities in care. To stimulate and facilitate such research, our aims are to outline theoretical arguments for the differential impact of LTC policies on socio-economic inequalities in care and to create macro-level indicators for different types of supportive LTC policies in European countries over time. Our study’s research question is: Can we find and capture different dimensions of LTC policies in macro-level indicators that are comparable over countries and time? In particular, we focus on supported familialism (for example, informal caregiver support), supported defamilialization through the market (for example, in-cash benefits for care users), and defamilialization through public provision (for example, availability of beds in residential care). Besides a summary of the literature on LTC policies and how they may affect socio-economic inequalities in care, we outline our search process for macro-level LTC indicators and present descriptive information on the different types of LTC policies and their correlations. We discuss the difficulties that arise when translating theoretical insights about different types of LTC policies into high-quality measures for many countries and time points." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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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))

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Hansen, Lasse Schmidt & Mathias Herup Nielsen (2023): Working Less, Not More in a Workfare Programme: Group Solidarity, Informal Norms and Alternative Value Systems Amongst Activated Participants. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 52, H. 1, S. 46-62. DOI:10.1017/S0047279421000301

Abstract

"This article uses extensive ethnographic methods to explore the lived reality of a Danish workfare programme. The programme requires social assistance recipients to perform manual labour for their benefits at municipal work sites. The contrast between the political rhetoric that justifies the workfare programme and the lived reality of it is striking. While the programme is justified as a means to put the passive unemployed to work, there is a norm of working less, not more at the site. The participants spend most of their time waiting or conducting seemingly meaningless work assignments. However, over time, the majority of the participants begin to embrace this modus operandi at the site. This article answers this apparent paradox by turning to concepts from the anthropology of industrial work. Such concepts allow us to analyse how camaraderie exists amongst participants as well as work supervisors at the site. Particularly, the camaraderie is based on group solidarity, an informal regulation of work efficiency and an alternative system of value. Hereby, the article adds to previous findings on the ‘lived experiences’ of welfare recipients." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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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))

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Horn, Alexander, Anthony Kevins & Kees van Kersbergen (2023): The paternalist politics of punitive and enabling workfare: evidence from a new dataset on workfare reforms in 16 countries, 1980–2015. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 21, H. 4, S. 2137-2166. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwac060

Abstract

"Does neoliberalism lie behind the increased use of social policy to control and incentivize labor market behavior? We argue that this assumed connection is theoretically weak and empirically inaccurate, and we point to an alternative explanation centered on government paternalism. Using a new comparative dataset on workfare reforms, we first describe how the overall balance of punitive and enabling demands placed on the unemployed has changed across 16 countries between 1980 and 2015. We observe a growing number of workfare reforms, modestly tilted towards the punitive side—but without a broad shift towards punitive workfare. We then assess the drivers of policy intervention, finding that government paternalism, rather than neoliberalism, helps us to understand which governments enact enabling and punitive measures. In line with our broader argument, we suggest that this reflects the moral (rather than economic) foundations of social policy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Koelle, Michael (2023): Addressing labor market challenges for sustainable and inclusive growth in Israel. In: OECD Economic Surveys: Israel Paris, Paris, S. 65-116. DOI:10.1787/727fa4b8-en

Abstract

"High employment growth has sustained Israel's high GDP growth in recent decades, but demographic change and labor market duality put future growth at risk. Policy action is required to stimulate employment and raise labor productivity, especially among population groups with weaker labor market outcomes. A particular concern is closing employment gaps of Haredim and Arab Israelis and ensuring gender equality in the workplace, which would simultaneously improve opportunities for all Israelis and the aggregate labor productivity of the economy. This will require setting appropriate work incentives and providing better support for working parents; improving skills at all stages of the learning cycle; as well as increasing mobility and improving reallocation towards high-productivity jobs and firms, in particular in the high-tech sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Papadopoulos, Orestis & Katy Jones (2023): Training in the age of liberalization and crisis: Understanding the learning experiences of young Active Labour Market Programme Participants. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 57, H. 2, S. 219-234. DOI:10.1111/spol.12876

Abstract

"Vocational Training has been a prominent aspect of Active Labour Market Policy (ALMP) across EU member states, as part of efforts to boost the employability and human capital of young unemployed people and address new social risks arising within knowledge economies. However, young people's learning experiences of these programmes, and how these shape their early formative experiences in the labour market is underexplored. We address this gap by presenting new analysis of an extensive qualitative dataset, involving interviews with participants in Greece's Continuous Vocational Training (CVET) Program. Drawing on Unwin and Fuller's influential theory of restrictive and expansive learning environments which was developed through examination of formal apprenticeship programmes, we explore the extent to which these short-term vocational training programs provide meaningful learning and work experiences for young people. We show that vocational training facilitated through ALMPs is often experienced as restrictive, underpinned by a lack of meaningful training, occupation-specific skills, supportive guidance and quality employment prospects. Furthermore, we show how ALMPs in such contexts not only fail to support young people, but they also reinforce and legitimize precarious work practices by socializing the younger generation of workers into low-pay, temporary and routine jobs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Peters, Marjolein (2023): European Network of Public Employment Services: Trends in PES - Assessment Report on PES Capacity 2022. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 74 S. DOI:10.2767/908915

Abstract

"The report provides an overview of key trends in the development of PES, describing aspects of their capacity and the client services they offer. It is based on PES replies to the annual PES Capacity survey received from 32 PES in July and August 2022. This year, specific information was collected on the cooperation of PES with municipalities and how PES use outsourcing to work with other actors in the labour market ecosystem. Two more important additional topics this year are the impact of the pandemic (continuing from the 2021 report) and the support PES provide to jobseekers from Ukraine." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Reiter, Renate (2023): Critical infrastructure of social and labour market integration: Capacitating the implementation of social service policies to the long-term unemployed in Germany and France? In: European Journal of Social Security, Jg. 25, H. 2, S. 158-177. DOI:10.1177/13882627231187609

Abstract

"Active social and employment services are a crucial infrastructure of the welfare state. As these services are designed to help people in need of support to overcome periods of insecurity in their life course, their effective provision has also been seen as an element of the implementation of the social investment (SI) welfare state. However, the transition to the SI state is linked to numerous preconditions. This is especially true with regard to vulnerable people like the long-term unemployed (LTU). The provision of social services that meet the specific needs of this group requires the actors responsible for implementing social and employment policies to have adequate operative capacities. This article compares Germany and France as two European welfare states that – confronted with persistently high long-term unemployment – have taken different reform paths over the last 20 years that partly run counter to their political-administrative systemic conditions and governance traditions to meet this challenge. Empirically, the article draws on a systematic content analysis of selected policy documents and secondary literature. It is shown that the recent German reform path of combining central steering responsibility with local scope for action can be a way to come closer to a social investment-oriented service policy for the LTU. However, the article also reveals that neither state (yet) has the necessary operative capacities for a shift towards an SI state. Overall, the changes in the understanding of the SI paradigm and the welfare state's constant reluctance to invest in implementation capacity make its sustainable application unlikely." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, 䗏 Intersentia, Ltd.) ((en))

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Schönherr, Daniel & Harald Glaser (2023): Zwischen Fördern und Fordern: Auswirkungen individueller Beratungs- und Vermittlungsstrategien auf die Beschäftigungschancen arbeitsuchender Menschen. (AMS-Info / Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich 578), Wien, 3 S.

Abstract

"Aus dem einleitenden Teil: "Die vorliegende Studie im Auftrag der Abt. Arbeitsmarktforschung und Berufsinformation (ABI) sowie der Abt. Service für Arbeitsuchende (SfA) des AMS Österreich geht der Frage nach, wie Berater:innen des AMS potenzielle Spielräume in der Beratung individuell nutzen, um ihre Kund:innen bei der Suche nach einer neuen Beschäftigung zu unterstützen. Darüber hinaus analysiert die Studie die Auswirkungen dieser individuellen Beratungs- und Vermittlungsstrategien auf die Wiederbeschäftigungschancen von arbeitsuchenden Menschen in Österreich. Anknüpfend an bisherige Evaluierungen der Beratungssituation am AMS, die zuletzt vor allem die Betreuungsrelation und Kontakthäufigkeit zwischen Berater:innen und Kund:innen in den Blick nahmen, unternimmt die Studie erstmals für Österreich den Versuch, die Wirkweise unterschiedlicher Arten von Beratung und Vermittlung, die Arbeitslose am AMS erfahren, zu quantifizieren. Methodisch wurde darüber hinaus untersucht, ob und inwieweit Daten aus einer standardisierten Befragung von Berater:innen des AMS mit administrativen Daten ihrer Kund:innen verknüpft und derart aufbereitet werden können, dass statistische Aussagen über etwaige Einflussfaktoren der Beratung auf die Wiederbeschäftigungschancen Arbeitsloser gewonnen werden können. (...)" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Siddique, Abu Bakkar (2023): Job market polarization and American poverty. In: Journal for labour market research, Jg. 57. DOI:10.1186/s12651-023-00356-5

Abstract

"The article posits that the puzzles of stagnating poverty rates amidst high growth and declining unemployment in the United States can be substantially explained by polarized job markets characterized by job quality and job distribution. In recent decades, there has been an increased number of poor-quality jobs and an unequal distribution of jobs in the developed world, particularly in the United States. I have calculated measures of uneven job distribution indices that account for the distribution of jobs across households. A higher value of the uneven job distribution indices implies that there are relatively large numbers of households with multiple employed people and households with no employed people. Similarly, poor-quality jobs are those jobs that do not offer full-time work. Two-way fixed-effect models estimate that higher uneven job distribution across households worsens aggregated poverty at the state level. Similarly, good-quality jobs help households escape poverty, whereas poor-quality jobs do not. This paper suggests that eradicating poverty requires the government to direct labor market policies to be tailored more toward distributing jobs from individuals to households and altering bad jobs into good jobs, rather than merely creating more jobs in the economy. This paper contributes by elaborating on relations of employment and poverty, addressing employment quality and distribution, and providing empirical evidence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Strittmatter, Anthony (2023): What is the value added by using causal machine learning methods in a welfare experiment evaluation? In: Labour Economics, Jg. 84. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102412

Abstract

"Recent studies have proposed causal machine learning (CML) methods to estimate conditional average treatment effects (CATEs). In this study, I investigate whether CML methods add value compared to conventional CATE estimators by re-evaluating Connecticut’s Jobs First welfare experiment. This experiment entails a mix of positive and negative work incentives. Previous studies show that it is hard to tackle the effect heterogeneity of Jobs First by means of CATEs. I report evidence that CML methods can provide support for the theoretical labor supply predictions. Furthermore, I document reasons why some conventional CATE estimators fail and discuss the limitations of CML methods." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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Theodoropoulos, Nikolaos & Georgios Voucharas (2023): Firm Closures and Labor Market Policies in Europe. Evidence from Retrospective Longitudinal Data. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 1288), Essen, 35 S.

Abstract

"We examine the impact of active and passive labor market policies expenditures on the probability of re-employment, re-employment duration, unemployment duration, and re-employment wages in the case of job displacements due to firm closures. We use retrospective homogeneous longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and OECD data for 24 countries over the period 1985-2017 and we operate within alternative econometric frameworks. Our findings suggest that, in contrast to passive labor market policies, investing in active labor market policies increases the re-employment probability and the re-employment duration, reduces the risk of staying unemployed, and leads to higher wages at the lower end of the conditional wage distribution. Passive labor market policies estimates offset active labor market estimates and their interaction effect is always negative, but complementarities effects are found for Northern countries. By breaking down active and passive labor market policies into eight subcomponents, our results indicate that they have significant heterogeneous effects within and across labor market outcomes. Further, expenditures on labor market policies vary substantially across regions. For instance, active labor market policies have a stronger impact for Eastern countries, whereas passive labor market policies such as out-of-work income has a positive impact for Southern countries. Further, females are found to benefit more from active labor market policies in terms of re-employment probability, duration of re-employment, and risk of unemployment, but not in terms of wages, compared to males. Policymakers may consider the importance of implementing diverse reforms tailored to different countries and groups to enhance the effectiveness of labor market policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Valizade, Danat, Jo Ingold & Mark Stuart (2023): Employer Participation in Active Labour Market Policies in the United Kingdom and Denmark: The Effect of Employer Associations as Social Networks and the Mediating Role of Collective Voice. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 37, H. 4, S. 991-1012. DOI:10.1177/09500170211063094

Abstract

"Active labour market policies (ALMPs) have evolved as pivotal social policy instruments designed to place the unemployed and other disadvantaged groups in sustainable employment. Yet, little is known about what drives employer participation in such initiatives. This article provides a nuanced account of the socio-economic aspects of the demand-side of ALMPs, by investigating employer embeddedness in wider social networks created by employer associations and employee collective voice as enabling mechanisms for employer participation in ALMPs. Drawing on an original survey of employers in the United Kingdom (UK) and Denmark, we found that the extent of employer embeddedness in such social networks is positively associated with employer participation in the UK but not in Denmark, where the effect was indirect and mediated through collective bargaining. The effects of employer network ties and employee collective voice affirm the importance of a more integrated analysis of the interactions between network ties and institutions in ALMP research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Van Hootegem, Arno, Federica Rossetti, Koen Abts & Bart Meuleman (2023): The ideological roots of the activation paradigm: How justice preferences and unemployment attributions shape public support for demanding activation policies. In: International Journal of Social Welfare online erschienen am 29.08.2023, S. 1-17. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12628

Abstract

"Research either focused on self-interest or left-right ideology to explain support for demanding active labour market policies (ALMPs). This article focuses instead on how attitudes towards these policies are rooted in the underlying policy paradigm. We link attitudes towards ALMPs to two pillars of the activation paradigm: distributive justice and unemployment attributions. Structural equational modeling is employed on the Belgian National Election Study data of 2014 (N=1901). Individuals supporting the principles of need and equity and who blame the unemployed are more in favour of demanding activation. These frameworks and hence the policy paradigm thus have substantial predictive power." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Álvarez, Ignacio, Jesús Cruces & Francisco Trillo (2023): Radical Change and Institutional Resilience: The Case of Labour Market Reforms in Southern Europe. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 37, H. 6, S. 1517-1543. DOI:10.1177/09500170221090166

Abstract

"Over the last decade southern European labour markets have been transformed in a common neoliberal direction, as a consequence of the reforms enacted after the 2008 financial crisis. In our research we investigate to what extent these labour market reforms, aimed at promoting a radical decentralisation of collective bargaining, have actually led to such change. For that purpose, we developed a comparative study of Spain and Portugal, using the notions of path dependency and socio-political coalitions developed by historical institutionalism. Our study leads to the conclusion that institutional trajectories resulting from these labour market reforms merge profound changes with significant resilience. The neoliberal transformations of southern European labour markets have not led to the emergence of new bargaining models, nor to an institutional convergence towards the decentralised collective bargaining systems of liberal market economies. Rather, these reforms have triggered a disorganised fragmentation of collective bargaining systems, resulting in a lack of institutional coherence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Europäische Kommission. Generaldirektion Beschäftigung, Soziales und Integration (2023): Joint Employment Report 2024. Commission proposal. (Joint employment report), Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 165 S. DOI:10.2767/17157

Abstract

"The Joint Employment Report (JER) by the European Commission and the Council monitors the employment situation in the Union and the implementation of the Employment Guidelines, in line with Article 148 of the TFEU. The report provides an annual overview of key employment and social developments in the Union and of Member States’ recent policy measures, in line with the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States. It also identifies related key priority areas for policy action. Chapter 1 of the report presents an overview of key employment and social trends and of progress made on the 2030 EU headline and national targets, as well as horizontal findings based on the principles of the Social Convergence Framework (SCF). Chapter 2 analyses challenges and policy responses in the Member States for each of the four employment guidelines. Chapter 3 provides country-specific analysis for all Member States in line with the principles of the SCF. Based on the Commission’s proposal, and following exchanges in the relevant Council advisory committees, the final text will be adopted by the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council. Addressing the challenges identified in the report will contribute to achieving upward social convergence, strengthen the Union’s drive towards fair green and digital transitions and contribute to facing demographic change, as well as the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the Union of Equality Strategies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Europäische Kommission. Generaldirektion Beschäftigung, Soziales und Integration (2023): Quarterly Review of Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) - November 2023. (Employment and social developments in Europe : quarterly review), Luxembourg, 19 S.

Abstract

"ESDE quarterly reviews periodically provide an overview of recent social and labour market developments in the EU, accompanied by specific thematic analyses. The thematic part of this review focuses on the impact of demographic changes on labour market outcomes and the potential of pension reforms to counteract these projected trends. This is an important topic in the context of demographic change in the EU over the next decades and the corresponding impact on employment rate, economic dependency ratio and social security contributions. Looking at pension reforms, the thematic focus shows that increasing the statutory and effective retirement age can play an important role for addressing the impending challenges stemming from population ageing and decline. It can at least in part mitigate the impact of ageing on employment and economic dependency. Nevertheless, it is also highlighted that a more comprehensive approach encompassing broader labour market reforms may be required to ensure the financial stability of social security systems in the long term, given the projected increases of recipients paired with higher social security contributions per employed person." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"The EU labor market policy (LMP) database collects information about government actions to help people with a disadvantage in the labor market, primarily by facilitating and supporting transitions from unemployment or inactivity into employment. This can take the form of financial support – such as unemployment benefits – or practical support ranging from basic guidance services to the provision of training, work experience and other actions aimed at improving a persons’ employability. It also includes incentives for employers to take on people from defined target groups. In the LMP database these actions are referred to as interventions. The LMP data are collected annually by a network of national delegates from administrative sources in each country on the basis of a comprehensive methodology that provides detailed guidelines on: which interventions to cover; how to classify interventions by type of action; how to measure the expenditure associated with each intervention; and how to measure the number of participants. The LMP data serve to inform analysts and policy makers about the labour market policies provided in the EU Member States and provide an evidence base for further development of policy. LMP data are used in routine monitoring and benchmarking frameworks adopted by the European Commission to identify key trends and challenges across the EU Member States and in analysis supporting a range of European policy initiatives. This note presents an analysis of the latest available LMP statistics. It includes an overview of the key data available for 2020 and an analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the provision of LMP in the Member States. Readers are recommended to refer to information on the characteristics of LMP statistics provided in Annex 1 to aid understanding of the data presented." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"The EU labor market policy (LMP) database collects information about government actions to help people with a disadvantage in the labor market, primarily by facilitating and supporting transitions from unemployment or inactivity into employment. This can take the form of financial support – such as unemployment benefits – or practical support ranging from basic guidance services to the provision of training, work experience and other actions aimed at improving a persons’ employability. It also includes incentives for employers to take on people from defined target groups. In the LMP database these actions are referred to as interventions. The LMP data are collected annually from administrative sources in each country on the basis of a comprehensive methodology that provides detailed guidelines for the collection of data: which interventions to cover; how to classify interventions by type of action; how to measure the expenditure associated with each intervention; and how to measure the number of participants. The aim of collecting this data is to serve as tool for policy analysts and policy makers to gain a clear understanding of the labor market policies provided in the EU and facilitate well informed decision-making. LMP data is used both in routine monitoring and benchmarking frameworks employed by the European Commission to identify key trends and challenges across the EU Member States and in analysis supporting a range of European policy initiatives. This note presents an analysis of the latest available LMP statistics. It includes sections providing an overview of the key data available for 2019, analysis of LMP based indicators, and an examination of insights data on different type of intervention can provide for key EU policy initiatives. Readers are recommended to refer to information on the characteristics of LMP statistics provided in Annex 1 to aid understanding of the data presented." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Europäische Kommission. Generaldirektion Beschäftigung, Soziales und Integration (2023): Annual report 2022 / European Network of Public Employment Services (PES). (Annual report … / European Network of Public Employment Services), Luxembourg, 25 S. DOI:10.2767/54453

Abstract

"The 2022 Work Program of the PES Network was designed to be implemented in a challenging context, whereby pre-existing labor market trends have been hastened by the COVID crisis. The actual context proved to be even more demanding. While unemployment remained at record low levels, labor shortages grew across many sectors. PES were furthermore called upon when millions of Ukrainians fled their country, and so far more than 4 million registrations for temporary protection1 have been recorded in the EU. In the wake of a potential recession, PES’ expectations for short term developments in employment and unemployment levels (as measured by the European Labor Market Barometer) have fallen consistently since May, to reach levels comparable to the height of the COVID 19 crisis. Overall, the Network was able to implement more than 20 activities in 2022, including some in addition to those planned, to support PES in helping displaced people from Ukraine." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"Drawing on an extensive analysis of secondary literature, numerous country case studies, and the ILO's 2021 survey encompassing 94 public employment services worldwide, this report sheds light on significant insights. The report underscores that the integration of employment services within a comprehensive policy and legal framework, coupled with continuous capacity-building efforts, leads to enhanced effectiveness and long-term sustainability. Moreover, the report emphasizes the importance of synergies and harmonization between employment services, active labor market policies, social protection policies, and systems. It delves into the modernization of public employment services, extending beyond mere digitalization, by advocating for a holistic approach that assists clients in overcoming labor market and other obstacles. The report also advocates for partnerships with other labor market institutions, training organizations, and social protection entities to broaden their reach and impact." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Anghel, Liliana-Luminita (2022): European Network of Public Employment Services: 2022 PES Capacity Questionnaire Part II: Labour market training for the long-term unemployed. Survey-based Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 50 S. DOI:10.2767/07742

Abstract

"As part of its 2022 work program, the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES) continues the monitoring of the implementation of the Council Recommendation on the integration of the long term unemployed into the labor market. The report complements the quantitative and qualitative monitoring done by EMCO, and provides input to the EMCO multilateral surveillance. It mainly focuses on PES delivery of labor market training to LTUs to improve their ability to access jobs in the changing labor market. The findings are based on responses to a survey provided by 32 PES in 26 EU member States plus Iceland and Norway. The report shows that PES put a lot of efforts into organizing and delivering the labor market training to LTUs to improve their access to jobs, even in a challenging period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also includes some issues for further consideration when planning and adjusting future training programs for LTUs (for instance related to lack of internet access and IT equipment, low digital skills, poor support networks)." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Aumond, Romain, Valerio Di Tommaso & Gerhard Rünstler (2022): A narrative database of labour market reforms in euro area economies. (Working paper series / European Central Bank 2657), Frankfurt am Main, 61 S.

Abstract

"We present a quarterly narrative database of important labour market reforms in selected euro area economies in between 1995 and 2018 covering 60 events. We provide legal adoption and implementation dates of major reforms to employment protection legislation and unemployment benefits. Estimates based on local projections find negative short-run effects of liberalising reforms on wages, while the employment effects of reforms differ markedly across age groups and partly depend on the state of the economy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Berger, Eva M., Henning Hermes, Guenther Koenig, Felix Schmidt & Daniel Schunk (2022): Self-regulation training and job search input: A natural field experiment within an active labor market program. In: Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Jg. 98. DOI:10.1016/j.socec.2022.101858

Abstract

"Evidence suggests that self-regulation abilities play an important role for the job finding success of unemployed persons. We conduct a randomized controlled trial embedded in an established labor market reactivation program to examine the effect of a self-regulation training on job search input of long-term unemployed participants. Our treatment involves teaching a self-regulation strategy based on mental contrasting with implementation intentions. We find that the treatment has a positive effect on the quality of application documents as well as on the probability of participants submitting their documents on time. However, we do not find a significant treatment effect on labor market reintegration. We discuss several reasons for this null finding and conduct further exploratory analyses to learn about heterogeneous treatment effects." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Bertheau, Antoine, Edoardo Acabbi, Cristina Barceló, Andreas Gulyas, Stefano Lombardi & Raffaele Saggio (2022): The Unequal Cost of Job Loss across Countries. (IZA discussion paper 15033), Bonn, 49 S.

Abstract

"We document the consequences of losing a job across countries using a harmonized research design. Workers in Denmark and Sweden experience the lowest earnings declines following job displacement, while workers in Italy, Spain, and Portugal experience losses three times as high. French and Austrian workers face earnings losses somewhere in-between. Key to these differences is that Southern European workers are less likely to find employment following displacement. Loss of employer-specific wage premiums accounts for 40% to 95% of within-country wage declines. The use of active labor market policies predicts a significant portion of the cross-country heterogeneity in earnings losses." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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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))

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Blank, Florian & Erik Türk (2022): Altersrenten und sozialer Ausgleich in Deutschland und Österreich – ein Vergleich anhand von Modellrechnungen. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Jg. 71, H. 2, S. 139-163. DOI:10.3790/sfo.71.2.139

Abstract

"Die Gegenüberstellung der Rentenansprüche für einheitliche, idealtypische Biografien ermöglicht den Vergleich von Unterschieden der Rentensysteme selbst. Die von der OECD erstellten Modellbiografien mit durchgehenden Erwerbsverläufen, abschlagsfreiem Renteneintritt und stabilen Einkommenspositionen bilden den Ausgangspunkt für den Vergleich der Rentenversicherungen Deutschlands und Österreichs. Die Vorgehensweise der OECD wird dargestellt, sofern erforderlich korrigiert, aktualisiert und weiterentwickelt. Zusätzlich werden Arbeitslosigkeit, vorzeitiger Renteneintritt sowie Kindererziehungszeiten berücksichtigt. Durch diese Ergänzungen werden eine höhere Realitätsanbindung erreicht und Elemente des sozialen Ausgleichs einbezogen. Es zeigt sich, dass die österreichische Pensionsversicherung in jeder Konstellation deutlich höhere Leistungen gewährt, die Elemente des sozialen Ausgleichs den Abstand teils vergrößern, teils verringern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Brandl, Sebastian & Thorsten Braun (2022): Arbeitsmarktnahe Integration von Langzeitarbeitslosen – Zur Relevanz von street-level organizations am Beispiel von Jobcentern in Dänemark und Deutschland. (Working paper / HdBA, Fachgruppe Soziologie und Arbeitsmarktpolitik 2), Mannheim ; Schwerin, 43 S.

Abstract

"Das Working Paper geht der Umsetzung dem in vielen europäischen Ländern feststellbaren Paradigmenwechsel hin zu einer arbeitsmarktnahen Integration insb. von Langzeitarbeitslosen nach. Arbeitsmarktnah meint Integration in geförderte und ungeförderte, weitgehend reguläre Beschäftigungsverhältnisse in privaten Unternehmen, in Verwaltungen und in gemeinnützigen Organisationen. Die Grundlage für das Working Paper bilden je zwei explorative Jobcenterfallstudien in Dänemark und Deutschland. In Erweiterung der street-level bureaucracy-Perspektive von Lipsky wird dabei der Rolle der street-level organizations bei der Implementation der neuen Policy nachgegangen. Gefragt wird unter Fokus auf Berkels ‚organizational context’ nach den strategischen, organisationalen und personellen Überlegungen und Umsetzungsschritten in den Jobcentern. In Dänemark läuft der Paradigmenwechsel auf eine umfassende, nicht friktionslose und nach Jobcenter unterschiedliche Neuausrichtung der Integrationsarbeit von einer sozialfachlichen zu einer Unternehmensorientierung hinaus. In Deutschland wird der Ansatz nur indirekt mittels Förderprogrammen und dem Teilhabechancengesetz und zumeist in Sonderteams umgesetzt. Gleicherweise ist jedoch ein ‚process of policy decentralization’ beobachtbar, der durch eine unterschiedliche ‚professionalization’ der Integrationsarbeit vor Ort ausgefüllt wird. Dabei haben die Entscheidungen des Managements erheblichen Einfluss nicht nur auf die Dienstleistung, sondern rahmen die Ermessensentscheidungen der Integrationsfachkräfte. In einem Fall konnte eine sehr weitgehende Übertragung des organisationalen Ermessensspielraum auf die Integrationsfachkräfte beobachtet werden. Strategien und Erfahrungen sowie Konstellationen und Managementorientierungen in den Jobcentern beeinflussen somit in erheblichem Maße die Umsetzung und Praxis der neuen Policy vor Ort. Mit Brodkin gesprochen bestätigt sich, das street-level organizations durch ihre Managemententscheidungen ‚de facto policymakers’ sind." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Chodorow-Reich, Gabriel, Peter Ganong & Jonathan Gruber (2022): Should We Have Automatic Triggers for Unemployment Benefit Duration And How Costly Would They Be? (NBER working paper 29703), Cambridge, Mass, 8 S. DOI:10.3386/w29703

Abstract

"We model automatic trigger policies for unemployment insurance by simulating a weekly panel of individual labor market histories, grouped by state. We reach three conclusions: (i) policies designed to trigger immediately at the onset of a recession result in benefit extensions that occur in less sick labor markets than the historical average for benefit extensions; (ii) the ad hoc extensions in the 2001 and 2007-09 recessions in total cover a similar number of additional weeks as common proposals for automatic triggers, but concentrate coverage more in weaker labor markets; (iii) compared to ex post policy, the cost of common proposals for automatic triggers is close to zero." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Clasen, Jochen & Clara Mascaro (2022): Activation: a thematic and conceptual review. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 32, H. 4, S. 484-494. DOI:10.1177/09589287221089477

Abstract

"Activation as a social policy topic has been investigated since the late 1990s and continues to be popular in academic analysis and discourse. In this review, we highlight the wide range of research aims and themes covered within relevant publications. We also identify a considerable degree of conceptual inconsistency and ambiguity across the literature. Informed by methodological considerations, we conclude by suggesting a parsimonious root concept of activation which would allow for a more consistent and less ambiguous application within and across different levels of analysis." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cockx, Bart, Koen Declercq & Muriel Dejemeppe (2022): Losing Prospective Entitlement to Unemployment Benefits. Impact on Educational Attainment. (CESifo working paper 9852), München, 30 S.

Abstract

"Providing income support to unemployed education-leavers reduces the returns to investments in education because it makes the consequences of unemployment less severe. We evaluate a two-part policy reform in Belgium to study whether conditioning the prospective entitlement to unemployment benefits for education-leavers on age or schooling attainment can affect educational achievements. The results show that the prospect of financial loss in case of unemployment can significantly raise degree completion and reduce dropout in higher education, but not in high school. We argue that the higher prevalence of behavioral biases among lower educated and younger students could explain these contrasting findings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Davern, Eamonn & John McGrath (2022): European Network of Public Employment Services Stakeholder Conference "Jointly addressing labor and skills shortages, preparing for Europe's Future Labor Market" 7-8 April 2022. Synthesis paper. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 24 S. DOI:10.2767/591555

Abstract

"The conference converged around three main strategic priorities to address skill shortages and mismatches: (1) enhancing the attractiveness of certain regions, sectors and occupations; (2) assisting people from groups suffering labor market discrimination; (3) enhancing the effectiveness of labor market interventions. Conference participants consistently raised digitalisation as a major challenge and opportunity within the labor market. Different strategies emerged such as customized training and upskilling courses, active participation of employers, personal and individual support programs, innovative and non-traditional arrangements. Lifelong guidance was highlighted as increasingly important, whereby workers need ongoing coaching and guidance. The conference showed how PES are making increasing use of stakeholder partnerships as part of a delivery ecosystem to address labour and skills shortages. Partnerships can bring specialist knowledge to help meet shortages and access untapped potential." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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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))

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Eichhorst, Werner, Paul Marx, Ulf Rinne & Johannes Brunner (2022): Job Retention Schemes during COVID-19: A Review of Policy Responses. (IZA policy paper 187), Bonn, 33 S.

Abstract

"This policy brief provides an update on job retention policies in a sample of 20 countries representing the main world regions as well as the diverse types of job retention schemes, in particular short-time work, furlough and wage subsidy schemes as they have been implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We show the diversity of these policies as well as the available information about their (re-)design as the pandemic evolved up to the most recent period. The policy brief raises main issues regarding the implementation and adaptation of job retention policies and illustrated this with four case studies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Eichhorst, Werner, Paul Marx, Ulf Rinne & Johannes Brunner (2022): Promoting Youth Employment During COVID-19: A Review of Policy Responses. (IZA policy paper 188), Bonn, 32 S.

Abstract

"Economic and social disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis have particularly affected younger people, and therefore policy should respond with measures, programmes and initiatives targeted at this population group. Next to broader labour market and economic measures, which ultimately also benefit younger people, youth-targeted measures are needed given the specific impacts of the pandemic and resulting challenges. Against this background, this policy brief gives an overview on actual policy responses in the area of youth employment during the COVID-19 crisis in 20 selected countries. If such measures are implemented, they share the common goals of reducing the negative impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on younger workers and avoiding long-term scarring effects. However, the precise nature, extent and scope of such measures substantially differ across countries. Given the fragility and large uncertainty of economic recovery that is still present in early 2022, broader policy support continues to be needed, including specific policy measures targeting youth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Genova, Angela & Eamonn Davern (2022): European Network of Public Employment Services: Practitioner toolkit on strengthening PES to improve the labor market outcomes of persons with disabilities. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 54 S. DOI:10.2767/034981

Abstract

"This toolkit provides Public Employment Services (PES) with practice-oriented knowledge to improve labor market outcomes for persons with disabilities. This toolkit provides a practical guide, with concrete examples, for how Public Employment Services (PES) can promote the participation of persons with disabilities in the labor market. The accessible toolkit intends to support PES in their role as key agents for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). It is a deliverable of the European Commission’s new Disability Employment Package - a flagship initiative of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030, as well as their own ambition to meet the needs of different client groups. The objective of the toolkit is to provide PES with information and advice on strategies and practices to support them in combatting labor market discrimination against persons with disabilities and further their effective labor market participation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Haapanala, Henri (2022): Carrots or sticks? A multilevel analysis of active labour market policies and non-standard employment in Europe. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 56, H. 3, S. 360-377. DOI:10.1111/spol.12770

Abstract

"Spending on active labour market policies (ALMPs) has increased across Europe following the 2007 flexicurity strategy which emphasised smooth and rapid transitions from unemployment to work. Despite broad scholarly coverage of the activation turn, the connection between labour market policies and changes in non-standard employment remains unclear. Applying random effects within-between regression analysis, this paper finds that coercive, ‘hard’ ALMP instruments incentivising rapid re-employment with the threat of withdrawing unemployment benefits are associated with higher likelihood of involuntary part-time employment, whereas supportive, ‘soft’ ALMP strategies with a focus on upskilling and public sector occupation are associated with higher voluntary but lower involuntary part-time employment. The results from 25 countries over two decades shed light on the heterogeneous results of past ALMP research which has not adopted a consistent line on the supportive-coercive dichotomy. With European employment policy increasingly applying hard activation instruments to achieve full employment, an unintended consequence might be the expansion of precarious employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Hansen, Magnus Paulsen, Peter Triantafillou, Benedetta Bellò, Jan Boon, Dries Van Doninck, James Downe, Cate Hopkins, Erik Hans Klijn, Külli Sarapuu, Vidar Stevens & Koen Verhoest (2022): Accounting for what and to whom? Accountability tensions in collaborations addressing long-term unemployment. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 56, H. 7, S. 1156-1171. DOI:10.1111/spol.12846

Abstract

"Across Europe, public employment services are experimenting with more holistic and cross-sector collaborations to tackle the wicked problem of long-term unemployment. These collaborations operate in a context characterised by tensions produced by multiple demands for accountability. Based on case studies of the accountability relations and challenges in five such collaborations in the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), Estonia, Scotland and Denmark, we found that: rigorous use of quantifiable measurement regimes made it difficult to attribute salience to important aspects of the progress made by the unemployed citizen; standardised accounts come with the risk of reductionist understandings of the citizen's social circumstances and resources; superficial participation by local politicians resulted in rather weak political accountability and a marked ambiguity of the role of the client as both accountee and accountholder." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Hartley, Robert Paul, Carlos Lamarche & James P. Ziliak (2022): Welfare Reform and the Intergenerational Transmission of Dependence. In: Journal of Political Economy, Jg. 130, H. 3, S. 523-565. DOI:10.1086/717893

Abstract

"We investigate the effect of welfare reform on intergenerational welfare participation, using mother-daughter pairs in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We find that a mother’s AFDC/TANF participation increased her daughter’s odds of adult participation in that program by roughly 25 percentage points or more, but that welfare reform attenuated this transmission by at least 50 percent. However, there is no diminution of transmission after welfare reform when we consider the wider safety net or other outcomes. Daughters who grew up with mothers on AFDC/TANF were no better off after reform, with substitution toward other welfare programs over generations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Immervoll, Herwig, Rodrigo Fernández, Raphaela Hyee, Jongmi Lee & Daniele Pacifico (2022): De-facto gaps in social protection for standard and non-standard workers. An approach for monitoring the accessibility and levels of income support. (OECD social, employment and migration working papers 271), Paris, 42 S. DOI:10.1787/48e282e7-en

Abstract

"Social protection systems play a key stabilising role for individuals and societies, especially in the recent context of heightened uncertainties. This paper proposes a new empirical approach for quantifying the accessibility and value of income transfers following an earnings loss. The approach allows to estimate and monitor gaps in the accessibility and value of social transfers between so-called “standard” and “non-standard” workers. It first presents a methodology for assessing support levels for jobless individuals in specific circumstances that allows for comparisons across countries and over time. It then illustrates the approach using longitudinal survey data in 16 OECD countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Langenbucher, Kristine & Matija Vodopivec (2022): Paying for results: Contracting out employment services through outcome-based payment schemes in OECD countries. (OECD social, employment and migration working papers 267), Paris: OECD Publishing, 53 S. DOI:10.1787/c6392a59-en

Abstract

"OECD countries deliver publicly-funded employment services through different institutional arrangements. While in most OECD countries the majority of such services are delivered by public employment services, in two in five OECD and EU countries (or regions) they are partly or fully contracted out to external providers, including for-profit and not-for-profit entities. Contracting out employment services to outside providers offers many potential benefits: an increased flexibility to scale capacity in line with changes in unemployment, the possibility of offering services more cost-effectively, the option to better tailor services through the use of specialised service providers and the possibility to offer jobseekers choice of providers. However, achieving these benefits will depend on the actual design and monitoring of the contracting arrangements that are put in place. Focusing on the job brokerage, counselling and case-management employment services typically provided by public agencies, this paper reviews the experiences of OECD countries that have contracted out employment services through outcome-based payment schemes. It highlights the need to carefully consider questions related to the design and implementation of this form of contracting: fostering competition amongst potential providers, setting appropriate minimum service requirements and prices for different client groups, and ensuring the accountability of providers through monitoring and evaluations. These issues are discussed based on country examples, which are also detailed in factsheets contained in the online annex of the paper." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Leber, Ute, Thomas Kruppe, Franziska Schreyer & Tim-Felix Grabert (2022): Vorbild Österreich: Impulse für die Weiterbildungspolitik in Deutschland? (Podium). In: IAB-Forum H. 29.11.2022 Nürnberg, 2022-11-28. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20221129.01

Abstract

"Die Bundesregierung plant, die arbeitsmarktbezogene Weiterbildung von Beschäftigten verstärkt zu fördern. Sie beruft sich dabei in ihrem Koalitionsvertrag auf Österreich als Vorbild. Dort können Beschäftigte zu Weiterbildungszwecken schon seit Längerem mit finanzieller Unterstützung vom Staat eine berufliche Auszeit nehmen oder ihre Arbeitszeit reduzieren. Allerdings nehmen auch in Österreich Menschen, die einfache Tätigkeiten ausüben, vergleichsweise selten an Weiterbildung teil." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Rossetti, Federica, Bart Meuleman & Sharon Baute (2022): Explaining public support for demanding activation of the unemployed: The role of subjective risk perceptions and stereotypes about the unemployed. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 32, H. 5, S. 497-513. DOI:10.1177/09589287221106980

Abstract

"In recent decades, European welfare states have adopted demanding active labour market policies (ALMPs), aimed at increasing labour market participation through imposing stricter work-related obligations and benefit cuts in case of job offer rejection. This article investigates whether support for such demanding ALMPs is driven by risk perceptions of future unemployment and negative stereotypes about unemployed persons. Insights into the role of risk perceptions and stereotypes offer opportunities to gain a better understanding of the impact of structural variables. Drawing on data from the European Social Survey 2016 in 21 European countries, the analysis reveals that higher subjective risk of unemployment decreases support for these ALMPs substantially, whereas negative perceptions of the unemployed increase support. However, these factors play at the individual level only and do not explain country-level differences in support of demanding ALMPs. The notable cross-national variation in support of activation policies is found to be unrelated to economic factors and to the strictness of activation requirements for unemployment benefits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Scruggs, Lyle A. & Gabriela Ramalho Tafoya (2022): Fifty years of welfare state generosity. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 56, H. 5, S. 791-807. DOI:10.1111/spol.12804

Abstract

"This article describes an overview of key findings from the Comparative Welfare Entitlements Project (CWEP). CWEP compiles major features of the generosity of unemployment, sickness and public pension programs over the last several decades in 21 countries. Describing and extending earlier work to measure the institutional variation in major social insurance programs over time, we provide previously unpublished methodological details of widely used measures of program generosity; measures which have appeared in over 200 analyses during the last decade and a half. We find a high level of variation in wage replacement and benefit conditionality across programs in most countries; calling into question the notion of an historically stable configurations of characteristics, at least during the last 45 years. For instance, our research shows that several prototypical social democratic welfare states experienced the highest declines in generosity in the last three decades. Furthermore, we also show that, as late as the mid-1970s, some ‘social democratic’ welfare states still trailed some ‘conservative’ welfare states, including prototypical ones like Germany." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Villanueva, Ernesto & Effrosyni Adamopoulou (2022): Employment and wage effects of extending collective bargaining agreements. Sectoral collective contracts reduce inequality but may lead to job losses among workers with earnings close to the wage floors. (IZA world of labor 136), Bonn, 12 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.136.v2

Abstract

"Der Gesamteffekt der Allgemeinverbindlichkeit von Tarifverträgen hängt davon ab, wie viele Arbeitsplätze aufgrund der tariflich geregelten Lohnuntergrenzen und sonstigen Arbeitsbedingungen abgebaut werden. Um die Auswirkungen auf Löhne und Beschäftigung bewerten zu können, müssen Informationen über Tarifverträge mit Längsschnittdaten zu Arbeitgebern und Arbeitnehmern verknüpft werden. Neue Erkenntnisse der Forschung zeigen, dass negative Effekte meist auf Arbeitnehmer mit Verdiensten in der Nähe der Mindestlöhne beschränkt sind. Öffnungsklauseln und Repräsentativitätserfordernisse können dem entgegenwirken." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Europäische Kommission. Generaldirektion Beschäftigung, Soziales und Integration (2022): Employment and Social Developments in Europe - Quarterly Review October 2022. (Employment and social developments in Europe : quarterly review), Luxembourg, 23 S.

Abstract

"The October 2022 edition of the Employment and Social Developments Quarterly Review presents and discusses data that was mostly collected in the first half of 2022 and made available in the weeks ahead of publication of this review. The Russian unprovoked invasion of Ukraine that started on 24 February 2022 has caused immense human suffering, significantly disrupted global supply chains, and led to a dramatic rise of energy prices and an increase in inflation. This has caused an increase in the uncertainty for economic operators, worsening their expectations for future economic growth and employment. The thematic section of this review analyses the impact of rising prices on households in the EU." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"The European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) provides financial support to promote a high level of quality and sustainable employment, guarantee adequate and decent social protection, combat social exclusion and poverty, and improve working conditions across the EU. With a view to the regular monitoring of the programme, the EaSI Regulation foresees that ‘the Commission shall draw up an initial qualitative and quantitative monitoring reports covering consecutive two-year periods. This is the fourth EaSI Performance Monitoring Report presenting the results achieved by the programme in 2019-2020. It focuses on the products (outputs) delivered by the programme and the benefits they brought in 2019-2020. Over the period 2019 and 2020, the Commission committed more than EUR 255 million towards implementation of the programme’s activities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"Although men and women are typically taxed under the same rules, their different social and economic characteristics (e.g. income levels or labour force participation) mean that the tax system can inadvertently contribute to gender inequalities in society. Understanding and improving the impact of taxes on gender equality is a key dimension that governments need to consider as part of tax design to support inclusive growth. This report provides the first cross-country overview of governments' approaches to tax policy and gender, including reforms undertaken to date and potential areas of explicit and implicit gender bias. Covering 43 countries, it also explores the extent to which governments take into account gender implications in policy development, gender considerations in tax administration and compliance, and the availability and use of gender-disaggregated data. Finally, it also discusses priorities for further work on tax policy and gender issues." (Author's abstract, © 2022 OECD) ((en))

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Bagger, Jesper, Espen R. Moen & Rune Majlund Vejlin (2021): Equilibrium Worker-Firm Allocations and the Deadweight Losses of Taxation. (IZA discussion paper 14865), Bonn, 57 S.

Abstract

"We analyse the deadweight losses of tax-induced labor misallocation in an equilibrium model of the labour market where workers search to climb a job ladder and firms post vacancies. Workers differ in abilities. Jobs differ in productivities and amenities. A planner uses affine tax functions to finance lump-sum transfers to all workers and unemployment benefits. The competitive search equilibrium maximizes after-tax utility subject to resource constraints and the tax policy. A higher tax rate distorts search effort, job ranking and vacancy creation. Distortions vary on the job ladder, but always result in deadweight losses. We calibrate the model using matched employer-employee data from Denmark. The marginal deadweight loss is 33 percent of the tax base, and primarily arise from distorted search effort and vacancy creation. Steeply rising deadweight losses from distorted vacancy creation imply that the deadweight loss in the calibrated economy exceeds those incurred by very inequality averse social planners." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bhaumik, Sumon Kumar, Richard Frensch & Stephan Huber (2021): Political economy of labor market institutions in a globalised era. (IOS working papers 391), Regensburg, 29 S.

Abstract

"The paper extends the literature on the political economy of labor market institutions by developing a framework in which owners of capital can benefit from both greater labor market flexibility and better rule of law. Their choice of location of manufacturing centres can, therefore, by influenced both by reduction in expropriation that is associated with better rule of law and greater bargaining power vis-à-vis workers by way of greater labor market flexibility. It follows that where owners of capital are better placed to influence government choices of these institutions, labor market flexibility is influenced by both labor market institutions intensity of exports and as well as rule of law intensity of exports. These predictions are borne out by a cross-country empirical analysis." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cairo, Sofie & Robert Mahlstedt (2021): Transparency of the Welfare System and Labor Market Outcomes of Unemployed Workers. (IZA discussion paper 14940), Bonn, 43 S.

Abstract

"We study how the transparency of welfare systems affects labor market outcomes of unemployed workers in a large-scale field experiment. Our low-cost information intervention uses a personalized online tool that informs benefit recipients about their personal risk of a benefit reduction when not complying with a work requirement. We find disparate effects reflecting individuals' job search status. Providing personalized information improves labor market outcomes by mitigating the pressure to accept unstable part-time jobs among active job seekers with a low sanction risk. Inactive persons with a high sanction risk leave welfare and rely on alternative income support more frequently." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Carey, David, Naomitsu Yashiro & Hyunjeong Hwang (2021): Boosting employment in Finland. (OECD Economics Department working papers 1671), Paris, 60 S.

Abstract

"In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic contraction and government debt build-up, the government is formulating reforms to raise employment by 80 thousand workers by 2029. Finland's employment rate has been lagging behind the Scandinavian Nordics, with most of the gap attributable to older workers, who have more favourable access to early retirement schemes than their Scandinavian counterparts. To restrict their use, extended unemployment benefit, which is paid to unemployed persons aged 61 or more after normal unemployment benefit expires until they retire or reach 65, should be phased out and non-medical conditions should no longer be taken into account for disability benefit applications of persons aged 60 or more. Activity rates for mothers of young children are also lower in Finland than in the Scandinavian Nordics mainly owing to Finland's generous homecare allowance. It should be reduced and access to convenient early childhood education and care services expanded to improve mothers' work incentives. By increasing mothers' work experience at critical points in their careers, such a reform would also help to narrow Finland's large gender wage gap. As part of its 2021 budget, the government is setting out labour market reforms to increase employment by 31 to 36 thousand workers. Such reforms should focus on promoting employment of older workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Coady, David, Samir Jahan, Riki Matsumoto & Baoping Shang (2021): Guaranteed Minimum Income Schemes in Europe: Landscape and Design. (IMF working paper 2021,179), Washington, DC, 40 S.

Abstract

"This paper provides an overview of the design of means-tested Guaranteed Minimum Income schemes, which constitute an important component of social protection systems in European countries. It discusses how key design features differ across countries, including how countries balance the primary objective of poverty alleviation against the desire to both manage the work disincentives inherent in such programs and contain fiscal cost. The analysis finds a clear trade-off between both concerns in practice, with many countries combining low generosity with low benefit withdrawal rates (BWRs) thus prioritizing employment incentives over the primary objective of poverty alleviation. Many countries can reduce this trade off by combining higher generosity with higher BWRs. Countries with very high BWRs should consider reducing these, including through allowing income disregards and time dependent (rather than income-dependent) benefit withdrawal. The work disincentives associated with higher BWRs can also be attenuated through strengthening complementary activation policies that incentivize and support participation in the labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Edelhoch, Marilyn, Cynthia Flynn & Qiduan Liu (2021): Impact of South Carolina's TANF Program on Earnings of New Entrants Before and During the Great Economic Recession. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 50, H. 4, S. 871-890. DOI:10.1017/S0047279420000677

Abstract

"This study assesses the impact of South Carolina’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, Family Independence (FI), on the longitudinal earnings of three cohorts of new entrants who entered the study before, at the beginning of, and at the height of the 2007-2009 recession. Applicants who began the application process but did not enroll in TANF were propensity-score matched to entrants by background characteristics including pre-intervention earnings history, and served as the comparison group. We constructed a latent growth curve model to test whether earnings histories were similar for the program and comparison groups up until FI intake, to estimate program impact by comparing post-intake earnings of program participants to those of the comparison group, and to determine the statistical significance of cohort differences in program impact. The findings showed FI had a positive impact on the earnings of participants before the recession. The effect became weaker during the state’s period of rising unemployment, and disappeared during the worst economic recession in decades. This study demonstrates the usefulness of longitudinal administrative data, propensity score matching, and latent growth modeling techniques for evaluating the impact of program interventions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Eleveld, Anja (2021): Disrespect or dignity? Experiences of mandatory work participants in the Netherlands from the perspective of the right to work. In: The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Jg. 29, H. 2, S. 155-171. DOI:10.1332/175982721X16149598814264

Abstract

"This article explores the extent to which mandatory work programmes (MWPs) which oblige social assistance recipients to perform work activities in order to improve or develop basic work skills, can be considered in conformity with the human right to work. Drawing on qualitative research in three municipalities in the Netherlands, the findings indicate that overall, the work in the MWPs infringed the right to work. However, part of the MWP participants were able to realise the right to work to the extent that participation in an MWP enhanced their dignity, self-respect and their opportunities for self-development." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Policy Press) ((en))

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Guillemette, Yvan & David Turner (2021): The long game: Fiscal outlooks to 2060 underline need for structural reform. (OECD economic policy papers 29), Paris, 44 S. DOI:10.1787/a112307e-en

Abstract

"This paper updates the long-term scenarios to 2060 last published in July 2018, with a special focus on fiscal sustainability and risks. In a baseline economic and fiscal scenario, trend real GDP growth for the OECD + G20 area declines from around 3% post-COVID to 1½ per cent in 2060, mainly due to a deceleration of large emerging-market economies. Meanwhile, secular trends such as population ageing and the rising relative price of services will keep adding pressure on government budgets. Without policy changes, maintaining current public service standards and benefits while keeping public debt ratios stable at current levels would increase fiscal pressure in the median OECD country by nearly 8 percentage points of GDP between 2021 and 2060, and much more in some countries. Policy scenarios show that reforms to labour market and retirement policies could help boost living standards and alleviate future fiscal pressures. An ambitious reform package combining labour market reforms to raise employment rates with reforms to eliminate early retirement pathways and keep effective retirement ages rising by two thirds of future gains in life expectancy could halve the projected increase in fiscal pressure in the median country, even after taking into account future spending pressures associated with ageing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hadjar, Andreas & Edith Kotitschke (2021): How the Welfare-State Regime Shapes the Gap in Subjective Well-Being Between People With and Without Disabilities. In: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, Jg. 73, H. 4, S. 501-525. DOI:10.1007/s11577-021-00805-4

Abstract

"Der vorliegende Beitrag nimmt Behinderung, eine wenig beleuchtete Ungleichheitsachse, und subjektives Wohlbefinden in den Blick. Aufbauend auf die Theorie der sozialen Produktionsfunktionen wird der allgemeinen Annahme gefolgt, dass Menschen mit Behinderungen nicht die gleichen Möglichkeiten wie Menschen ohne Behinderungen haben, Ressourcen, instrumentelle Ziele und letztlich Wohlbefinden zu erlangen. Soziale Teilhabe und Arbeitsmarktintegration scheinen bedeutsame Mechanismen hinter den angesprochenen Disparitäten zu sein. Das Sozialsystem eines Landes auf der Makroebene prägt ebenso Unterschiede im subjektiven Wohlbefinden zwischen Gruppen. Die Hauptziele dieses Beitrags bestehen entsprechend darin, den Unterschied im subjektiven Wohlbefinden zwischen Menschen mit und ohne Behinderungen zu analysieren. Inwieweit lässt sich dieser Unterschied durch Unterschiede in sozialer Teilhabe und Arbeitsmarktintegration erklären, und wie prägt das Wohlfahrtsstaatsregime den Unterschied in subjektivem Wohlbefinden zwischen Menschen mit und ohne Behinderungen? Im Kern der Forschung stehen Mehrebenenanalysen von kumulierten Daten des European Social Survey aus 31 europäischen Ländern. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass Menschen mit Behinderungen ein signifikant geringeres subjektives Wohlbefinden zeigen als Menschen ohne Behinderungen. Wohlfahrtsstaatsregimes moderieren diesen Unterschied, wobei die Performanz der skandinavischen sozialdemokratischen (und familienorientierten) Länder hinsichtlich der Bereitstellung gleicher Lebensbedingungen für Menschen mit und ohne Behinderungen offenbar im Vergleich am stärksten erscheint." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag)

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Hammer, Bernhard, Michael Christl & Silvia De Poli (2021): Redistribution across Europe: How much and to whom? (JRC working papers on taxation and structural reforms 2021-14), Seville, 28 S.

Abstract

"Governments face a potential trade-off between provision for the growing population in retirement and the support of working-age households with low income. Using EUROMOD-based microdata from 28 countries, we (a) quantify the redistribution to the pensioner and non-pensioner populations, (b) study the position of net beneficiaries in the overall income distribution and (c) analyse how taxes and benefits affect the working-age population with low income. Our results provide novel insights into the distributive role of tax-benefit systems across Europe. Interestingly, a strong overall redistribution between households is associated with generous pensions for a portion of the retirees but negatively related to support for low-income households." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Heyes, Jason & Ludek Rychly (Hrsg.) (2021): The Governance of Labour Administration. Reforms, Innovations and Challenges. Cheltenham: Elgar, 320 S. DOI:10.4337/9781802203158

Abstract

"Focusing on public administration activities in the field of national labour policy, this timely book provides detailed analyses of labour administration reforms, innovations and challenges in different countries, including detailed case studies from Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the US." (Author's abstract, © Edward Elgar Publishing) ((en))

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Holzer, Harry J., Glenn Hubbard & Michael R. Strain (2021): Did Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Reduce Employment? Evidence from Early State-Level Expirations in June 2021. (IZA discussion paper 14927), Bonn, 37 S.

Abstract

"The generosity of Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits was expanded during the pandemic (FPUC), along with the groups of workers eligible for benefits (PUA). These two programs were set to expire in September 2021, but 18 states opted out of both in June 2021. Using Current Population Survey data, we present difference-in-difference and event study estimates that the flow of unemployed workers into employment increased by over one half following early termination. We construct a counterfactual scenario that implies the national unemployment rate in each of July and August would have been around 0.3 percentage point lower than they were, and the employment-population ratio would have been around 0.1-0.2 percentage point higher than it was, had all states ended FPUC and PUA in June. Expanded eligibility and generosity of UI may have both slowed transitions from unemployment to employment. We also present some suggestive evidence that households with relatively high confidence in their ability to meet expenses may have been less sensitive to the termination of expanded benefits. Finally, we present evidence that early termination reduced the share of households that had no difficulty meeting expenses by five percent. The welfare implications of the early termination of FPUC and PUA are therefore ambiguous." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pignatti, Clemente & Eva van Belle (2021): Better together: Active and passive labor market policies in developed and developing economies. In: IZA journal of development and migration, Jg. 12, H. 1. DOI:10.2478/izajodm-2021-0009

Abstract

"We investigate the macroeconomic impact of public expenditure in active labor market policies (ALMPs) and passive labor market policies (PLMPs) on main employment indicators (i.e., unemployment, employment, and labor force participation) for a large and novel panel database of 121 countries (36 developed, 64 emerging and 21 developing economies). Compared to previous studies, we include for the first time evidence from developing and emerging economies and explicitly examine the possible presence of complementarities between active and passive policies. We find that the interaction between interventions is crucial, as the effect of spending in either of the two policies is more favorable the more is spent on the other. Even the detrimental labor market effects of passive policies disappear on the condition that sufficient amounts are spent on active interventions. This complementarity seems even more important for emerging and developing economies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ylöstalo, Hanna & Lisa Adkins (2021): Economizing the political: Workfare reform in strategic management mode. In: Current Sociology, Jg. 69, H. 5, S. 723-741. DOI:10.1177/0011392120913579

Abstract

"The focus of this article is a recent round of workfare reform in Finland. Departing from many existing analyses of workfare, it focuses on issues of governance. Drawing on policy documents and interviews with key policy actors, it shows how this reform and attempts at implementation took place along the lines of a specific form of managerial governance, namely strategic governance, involving the enrolment of strategic management into policy making. The article details how this mode of policy making enabled an intensification and depoliticization of workfare policies via the replacement of political concerns with economic imperatives and in so doing contributed to the broader process of economization of the state. While the latter is often located as central to the project of neoliberalism, the practices through which it is instantiated often remain hazy. This article therefore contributes knowledge on how the process of the economization of the political operates in practice." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Europäische Kommission. Generaldirektion Beschäftigung, Soziales und Integration (2021): Joint Employment Report 2021. As adopted by the Council on 9 March 2021. (Joint employment report), Brüssel, 141 S.

Abstract

"The Joint Employment Report by the European Commission and the Council is mandated by Article 148 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The European Commission’s proposal for this report is part of the Autumn package. The Joint Employment Report provides an annual overview of key employment and social developments in the European Union as well as Member States’ reform actions, in line with the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States. The report follows the structure of the Guidelines: boosting the demand for labor (Guideline 5), enhancing labor supply and improving access to employment, skills and competences (Guideline 6), enhancing the functioning of labor markets and the effectiveness of social dialogue (Guideline 7), and promoting equal opportunities for all, fostering social inclusion and fighting poverty (Guideline 8). In addition, the Joint Employment Report monitors Member States’ performance in relation to the Social Scoreboard set up in the context of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Pillar was proclaimed jointly by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on 17 November 2017. It identifies principles and rights in three areas: i) equal opportunities and access to the labor market, ii) fair working conditions, and iii) social protection and inclusion. Monitoring of progress in these areas is underpinned by a detailed analysis of the Social Scoreboard accompanying the Pillar. The Joint Employment Report is structured as follows: an introductory chapter (Chapter 1) reports on main labor market and social trends in the European Union, to set the scene. Chapter 2 presents the main results from the analysis of the social scoreboard associated with the European Pillar of Social Rights. Chapter 3 provides a detailed cross-country description of key indicators (including from the social scoreboard), looking at Member States’ performance, challenges and policies implemented to address the Guidelines for Employment Policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Andersen, Ditte (2020): Stuck! Welfare state dependency as lived experience. In: European Societies, Jg. 22, H. 3, S. 317-336. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2019.1616796

Abstract

"The concern that public support may spur dependency has been voiced throughout the history of welfare states. Nevertheless, little research examines the experience of welfare state dependency in the context of recipients' everyday lives. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of a case involving Anna, who depends on the Danish welfare system for financial benefits and other forms of support. The study spans five years from age 19 to 24, and includes some of the significant others in Anna's everyday life - her mother, who also depends on welfare, and her caseworkers. By situating Anna's experiences in a temporal and social context, the case study advances a nuanced understanding of welfare state dependency and identifies three driving forces of the experience: (1) the concern about intergenerational transmission of dependency that spurs a shared sense of hopelessness among Anna and her significant others; (2) the recurrent changes of diagnoses that adds to the feeling of dependency by repeatedly generating waiting time, e.g. for new psychiatric assessments; (3) the system's requirement to produce numerous but sketchy future plans that lack real-world plausibility. The case study clarifies the importance that respectable exits out of welfare state dependency are not only imaginable but also believable." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Benda, Luc, Ferry Koster & Romke van der Veen (2020): Activation is not a panacea: Active labour market policy, long-term unemployment and institutional complementarity. In: Journal of social policy, Jg. 49, H. 3, S. 483-506. DOI:10.1017/S0047279419000515

Abstract

"Evaluation studies of active labour market policy show different activation measures generate contradictory results. In the present study, we argue that these contradictory results are due to the fact that the outcomes of activation measures depend on other institutions. The outcome measure in this study is the long-term unemployment rate. Two labour market institutions are of special interest in this context: namely, employment protection and unemployment benefits. Both institutions, depending on their design, may either increase or decrease the effectiveness of active labour market policies in lowering long-term unemployment. Based on an analysis of macro-level data on 20 countries over a period of 16 years, our results show that employment protection strictness and unemployment benefit generosity interact with the way in which active labour market policies relate to long-term unemployment. Our results also indicate that, depending on the measure used, active labour market policies fit either in a flexible or in a coordinated labour market. This suggests that active labour market policies can adhere to both institutional logics, which are encapsulated in different types of measures." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bruckmeier, Kerstin & Regina Konle-Seidl (2020): Folgen der Corona-Krise für die sozialen Sicherungssysteme im Ländervergleich (Serie "Corona-Krise: Folgen für den Arbeitsmarkt"). In: IAB-Forum H. 02.10.2020 Nürnberg, o. Sz., 2020-10-01.

Abstract

"Ähnlich wie in Deutschland hat die Corona-Krise auch in anderen Ländern Lücken in der sozialen Absicherung bestimmter Beschäftigtengruppen offenbart. Um diese in der Krise besser zu schützen, wurde eine Reihe von Sozialleistungen länderübergreifend ausgeweitet. Gleichwohl besteht auch über die Krise hinaus Handlungsbedarf. So bedarf es etwa in Deutschland vor allem einer grundlegenden Reform der Minijobs und einer besseren Absicherung von Solo-Selbstständigen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Grandia, Jolien, Yvonne M. La Grouw & Peter M. Kruyen (2020): Motivating the unemployed: A full-range model of motivational strategies that caseworkers use to activate clients. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 54, H. 3, S. 375-389. DOI:10.1111/spol.12540

Abstract

"Governments use activation policies to stimulate unemployed citizens in finding work. Caseworkers are, as front-line workers, responsible for concrete activation trajectories based on these activation policies. Little is known about how caseworkers try to get clients to participate in these activation trajectories. In a qualitative, inductive study (consisting of observations and reflective interviews) in two welfare agencies, we identified 10 motivational strategies that caseworkers employed. The full-range leadership model appeared to be an appropriate perspective to understand, systematize, and reflect on these strategies, in particular as our analyses show that these motivational strategies can be placed on a continuum ranging from laissez-faire to transactional and transformational strategies. We found that caseworkers matched their motivational strategy to the situation and client but preferred transformational strategies. Our findings implicate chances but also challenges for activation in practice and literature on front-line workers." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Hansen, Helle Cathrine (2020): From problems to barriers: A bottom-up perspective on the institutional framing of a labour activation programme. In: Social policy and society, Jg. 19, H. 1, S. 75-87. DOI:10.1017/S1474746419000241

Abstract

"Human resource development (HRD) approaches aim to increase service users' labour market prospects through training and upskilling. However, research on activation policy implementation suggests that individualised, tailored measures may be difficult to implement because of organisational structures, standardised procedures, contradictory professional interests, and broad framework laws. This qualitative study explored the institutional framing of the Norwegian Qualification Programme and how that framing created barriers in service users' trajectories towards labour market inclusion. The study applied a bottom-up perspective to analyse how these barriers are entangled in a multidimensional web of interrelated and sometimes contradictory relations. Highlighting the service users' perspective, the study aimed to examine how institutional framing may interfere with the activation policy goal of qualifying service users for the labour market. The results point to how institutional framing governs local practice and creates barriers that ultimately may impede activation policy goals." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Knotz, Carlo Michael (2020): Does Demanding Activation Work? A Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Unemployment Benefit Conditionality on Employment in 21 Advanced Economies, 1980–2012. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 36, H. 1, S. 121-135. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcz041

Abstract

"Whether or not putting the unemployed under greater pressure to seek and accept jobs really helps to raise levels of employment remains a controversially discussed question. Empirical research into this question has so far focused on the micro-level whereas the macro-level effects remain unexplored. This article fills this gap, using a novel comparative dataset on the strictness of job-search and availability requirements and sanction rules for unemployment benefit claimants in 21 countries between 1980 and 2012. It is shown that requiring more active job-search and availability for a wider range of jobs does indeed lead to increased employment, while no evidence for a similar positive effect of tougher sanction rules on employment is found. The data do indicate, however, that sanction rules are themselves a product of adverse labour market conditions. Interactive estimations also suggest a negative moderating influence of tough sanction rules on the effectiveness of stricter conditions, whereas more generous unemployment insurance and assistance benefits appear to strengthen the effects of stricter conditions. Overall, the results suggest that to increase employment, the treatment of the unemployed may be demanding but should not be punitive and should include supportive elements, providing claimants with the resources they need to effectively look for work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Millar, Jane & Tess Ridge (2020): No margin for error: Fifteen years in the working lives of lone mothers and their children. In: Journal of social policy, Jg. 49, H. 1, S. 1-17. DOI:10.1017/S0047279418000752

Abstract

"Over the past two decades, the emphasis on paid work has become one of the defining features of social security policy in the UK. Lone mothers and their families have been one of the key groups affected. In this article we focus on the working and family lives of lone mothers and their children over time, drawing on material from a long-term qualitative research study, and setting this in the context of policy developments. We explore the long-term consequences of trying to sustain work, and manage low-income family life as children grow up and needs change over time. This highlights some of the tensions and limitations in family support and relationships when resources are limited. We reflect on the links between insecurity, legacies and the state." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Morris, Lydia (2020): Activating the Welfare subject : The problem of agency. In: Sociology, Jg. 54, H. 2, S. 275-291. DOI:10.1177/0038038519867635

Abstract

"While accepting Banton's recently expressed view that sociology and social policy are distinct disciplines, this article argues that times of radical change can profitably bring the two into closer dialogue. Considering an argument from Emirbayer and Mische that agency becomes especially apparent in unsettled times, it focuses on conceptions of agency at play in the design and implementation of recent UK welfare reforms, and in subsequent legal challenges. Identifying a series of key measures in the Welfare Reform Act of 2012 and the Welfare and Work Act of 2016, this article examines the challenges that have ensued, and the way that agency is revealed as both a site of disciplinary control and as a focus for contestation, pitting the purposive rationality of welfare reform against the practical reason that emerges from claimant experience." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Naumann, Elias, Wouter De Tavernier, Laura Naegele & Moritz Hess (2020): Public support for sanctioning older unemployed. A survey experiment in 21 European countries. In: European Societies, Jg. 22, H. 1, S. 77-100. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2019.1660394

Abstract

"The public opinion literature has found that the age of the benefit recipient is an important determinant in the formation of welfare state attitudes. Older people are perceived as more deserving of help and also punished less for not accepting a job. We argue that such a preferential treatment of older people depends on the social and economic context. In this article, we examine public support for demanding active labour market policies in 21 European countries. Relying on a survey experiment varying the age of the unemployed person, our analysis confirms that older unemployed are punished less than younger unemployed for not accepting a job offer. However, this effect varies between countries and our evidence suggests that support for exempting older individuals from demanding active labour market policies disappears as societies age. Moreover, support for stricter sanctions in general is higher in countries with a higher unemployment rate and in countries that already have rather strict active labour market policies. These findings question the public's role as a veto player in the reform process as it seems unlikely that public opinion will block attempts to further strengthen demanding active labour market policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ohls, Carolina (2020): Dignity-based practices in Norwegian activation work. In: International Journal of Social Welfare, Jg. 29, H. 2, S. 168-178. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12388

Abstract

"This qualitative study sought to identify dignity‐based practices in a Norwegian activation programme − the Qualification Programme. Some welfare recipients are likely to experience shame in connection with their interaction with the welfare system. Previous research suggests that a dignity‐based approach could help welfare recipients to avoid such negative experiences. The operational components of dignity have been identified as autonomy, empathy and rights. Data gathered through individual interviews with participants and activation workers were examined using interpretative phenomenological analysis with a focus on exploring respondents’ perceptions of events to which they ascribe meaning. The findings indicate that accounts of empathy were common, but that the study’s participants seldom reported experiencing that their autonomy and rights were enhanced. Participation in the programme appeared to undermine the participants’ dignity, particularly when individual needs were overlooked. An underlying reason could be the current move away from a comprehensive understanding of service users’ different needs and to a narrow focus on employability." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Osiander, Christopher & Monika Senghaas (2020): Woran orientieren sich Einschätzungen zur Zumutbarkeit einer Beschäftigung? Befunde aus einer Vignettenbefragung. In: Zeitschrift für Sozialreform, Jg. 66, H. 1, S. 3-34., 2019-05-22. DOI:10.1515/zsr-2020-0002

Abstract

"Dieser Beitrag geht der Frage nach, unter welchen Bedingungen die Ablehnung von Stellenangeboten durch Empfänger/-innen von Arbeitslosengeld als (un-)zumutbar gilt. Wir untersuchen dies anhand einer Vignettenstudie, in deren Rahmen wir Teilnehmenden an einer Online-Befragung mehrere Beschreibungen fiktiver Arbeitsloser vorlegen, die Stellenangebote erhalten und ablehnen. Empirisch zeigt sich, dass Abschläge im Vergleich zum früheren Einkommen dazu führen, dass Befragte eine Stelle als weniger zumutbar einschätzen. Dasselbe gilt, wenn das Anforderungsniveau niedriger ist. Außerdem wird Älteren eher zugestanden, ein Stellenangebot abzulehnen als Jüngeren; umgekehrt ist es bei Personen, die bereits in der Vergangenheit arbeitslos waren. Die Zahl der verfügbaren Stellen und die Art der angebotenen Tätigkeit (Zeitarbeit, Befristung) beeinflussen das Urteil hingegen nicht." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Ranaldi, Marco (2020): Distributional Aspects of Economic Systems. (Stone Center On Socio-Economic Inequality. Working paper series 05), New York, NY, 54 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/n7wj4

Abstract

"This paper proposes a methodology to jointly analyze the distributions of capital and labor and of saving and consumption across the population. Hinging on the novel concept of income composition inequality and on its technical assessment through a specific indicator, this paper classifies economic systems by bringing together these two distributions in a two-dimensional box. Economic systems can be classified as Kaldorian Systems or as Representative Agent Systems depending on their position in the box. In Kaldorian Systems, the rich individuals save capital income and the poor individuals consume labor income. In Representative Agent Systems, all individuals are identical in terms of ownership and behaviors. The paper illustrates this methodology via an empirical application to the European context, in which two major clusters of economic systems – Mediterranean and Northern European – emerge. Furthermore, this paper illustrates how the classification proposed can be useful in understanding a country’s long-run performance in terms of capital accumulation, inequality and growth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Whitworth, Adam (2020): Activating spatial inequality: the case of the UK Work Programme. In: The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Jg. 28, H. 2, S. 207-226. DOI:10.1332/175982720X15803104493984

Abstract

"International evidence finds consistent equity concerns in quasi-marketised activation policies in terms of systematically worse experiences and outcomes for service users with greater support needs. However, equivalent risks around spatial inequalities are neglected within policy debates and empirical analyses. This article responds to that ongoing geographical gap through rich spatial analysis of the UK’s Work Programme, a vanguard experiment in aggressively quasi-marketised employment activation policy. Findings show consistent evidence for spatial inequalities in outcomes patterned according to local economic deprivation, with more deprived local authorities losing out on millions of pounds compared to the per capita resourcing in wealthier areas." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2020 Policy Press) ((en))

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Whitworth, Adam & Eleanor Carter (2020): Programme form and service user well-being. Linking theory and evidence. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 54, H. 5, S. 844-858. DOI:10.1111/spol.12582

Abstract

"Since the early 1990s, the “activation turn” has become a standard welfare orthodoxy at the heart of international welfare systems. Although policymakers talk confidently about the well-being gains of activation interventions and their employment outcomes, a growing body of research has focused instead on questions around “activation process well-being”—the potential well-being effects of participation in activation programmes themselves. The present article makes three main contributions to the theory, knowledge, and policy practice of this activation well-being literature. First, the paper develops an original conceptual framework that newly connects well-being theory, qualitative variation in programmatic form, and empirically testable well-being expectations for participating service users. Second, the paper uses multivariate statistical analyses to examine six conceptually derived hypotheses around variation in programme forms and implications for participating service users' well-being, drawing on the case study of U.K. activation policy. Noteworthy is the paper's unique distributional insights into well-being effects across different types of service users. Third, the paper offers new policy contributions around the relevance of policy form to service user well-being as well as important pointers to key programme features in this regard." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Europäische Kommission. Generaldirektion Beschäftigung, Soziales und Integration (2020): Joint Employment Report 2020. As adopted by the EPSCO Council on 8 April 2020. (Joint employment report), Brüssel, 133 S.

Abstract

"The Joint Employment Report (JER) by the European Commission and the Council is mandated by Article 148 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The initial proposal for this report by the European Commission is part of the Autumn package, which includes the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy launching the European Semester cycle. The Joint Employment Report provides an annual overview of key employment and social developments in Europe as well as Member States' reform actions, in line with the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States. The reporting on these reforms follows the structure of the Guidelines: boosting demand for labor (Guideline 5), enhancing labour supply and improving access to employment, skills and competences (Guideline 6), enhancing the functioning of labour markets and the effectiveness of social dialogue (Guideline 7), and promoting equal opportunities for all, fostering social inclusion and combatting poverty (Guideline 8). In addition, the Joint Employment Report monitors Member States' performance in relation to the Social Scoreboard set up in the context of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Pillar was proclaimed jointly by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on 17 November 2017. It identifies principles and rights in three areas: i) equal opportunities and access to the labor market, ii) fair working conditions, and iii) social protection and inclusion. Monitoring of progress in these areas is underpinned by a detailed analysis of the Social Scoreboard accompanying the Pillar. The Joint Employment Report is structured as follows: an introductory chapter (Chapter 1) reports on main labor market and social trends in the European Union, to set the scene. Chapter 2 presents the main results from the analysis of the social scoreboard associated with the European Pillar of Social Rights. Chapter 3 provides a detailed cross-country description of key indicators (including from the social scoreboard) and policies implemented by Member States to address the Guidelines for Employment Policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"The European Union Program for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) provides financial support to promote a high level of quality and sustainable employment, guarantee adequate and decent social protection, combat social exclusion and poverty, and improve working conditions across the EU. With a view to the regular monitoring of the program, the EaSI Regulation foresees that ‘the Commission shall draw up initial qualitative and quantitative monitoring reports covering consecutive two-year periods.’ This is the third EaSI Performance Monitoring Report presenting the results achieved by the program in 2017-2018. It focuses on the products (outputs) delivered by the program and the benefits they brought in 2017-2018. In 2017 and 2018, the Commission committed more than EUR 257 million for the implementation of all the program’s activities. The implementation of EaSI Work Programmes in 2017 and 2018 was well in line with the EaSI Regulation. The following positive developments were noted in 2017-2018: EaSI-funded policy evidence remained sound and highly useful in the view of the stakeholders. EaSI-funded events continued providing much-appreciated platforms for effective and inclusive information sharing, mutual learning and dialogue in relevant policy fields. EU-funded support for social policy innovations gained more visibility; The use of the EURES Job Mobility Portal was rather uneven from one year to another, but the number of registered users increased. EURES remained a catalyst for effective recruitment and placing of workers, organized through cross-border partnerships and targeted mobility schemes. 2017-2018 marked a strong period for the Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship axis. Microfinance support continued to provide real added value. In 2018, 27 contracts worth EUR 57.4 million were signed with microfinance intermediaries, which resulted in 47 684 microloans worth EUR 129.3 million (the leverage of 4.4 was achieved). EaSI support for social enterprises has taken momentum. In total, 949 social enterprises had received funding through the EaSI Social Entrepreneurship Window by the end of 2018." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ahmad, Nisar, Michael Savrer & Amjad Naveed (2019): The effect of active labour market programmes and benefit sanctions on reducing unemployment duration. In: Journal of labor research, Jg. 40, H. 2, S. 202-229. DOI:10.1007/s12122-019-09288-x

Abstract

"The purpose of this paper is to simultaneously investigate whether the active labour market programmes (ALMPs) and the imposition of benefit sanctions help unemployed insured workers in Denmark to find a job sooner than those who do not get any activation. Earlier studies have modelled ALMPs and benefit sanctions separately, which may have resulted in over- or underestimation of the true effect. As part of our empirical methodology, we used a multivariate mixed proportional hazard model and optimally selected the number of support points for the specification of unobserved heterogeneity distribution in our sample. Our results revealed that the impositions of both benefit sanctions and employment subsidies in the private sector have a positive impact on reducing unemployment duration. Some policy implications are drawn." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Bruckmeier, Kerstin & Regina Konle-Seidl (2019): Reforming the German basic income system in international perspective: yes to new avenues, no to a fundamental change. In: IAB-Forum H. 12.12.2019, o. Sz., 2019-12-04.

Abstract

"In Germany, politicians and the public have been debating for quite some time now whether the means-tested basic income scheme, colloquially referred to as Hartz IV, should be fundamentally reformed or even replaced by an unconditional basic income. Discussions, pilot projects and reform-attempts in this area can also be observed in other countries. A look beyond national borders is therefore highly instructive for the German - and international - reform debate." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Buss, Christopher (2019): Public opinion towards workfare policies in Europe. Polarisation of attitudes in times of austerity? In: International journal of social welfare, Jg. 28, H. 4, S. 431-441. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12368

Abstract

"Increasing wage inequality, strong labour market divides and welfare retrenchment are widely believed to result in more polarised public opinion towards the welfare state. The present study examined if attitudes towards workfare policies have become more polarised in Europe over recent decades. To achieve this aim, the study analysed public opinion data from the European Value Study (EVS) from 23 European countries in the years 1990 - 2008, using multi-level regression analysis. It is found that individuals who are most affected by workfare - the unemployed, the poor and the young - most strongly oppose workfare concepts. Against expectations, there was no evidence of an increasing polarisation of attitudes in Europe. Attitudinal cleavages based on employment status, income and education have remained stable. Differences between age groups have even dissolved because younger cohorts increasingly favour strict workfare policies. The results suggest that warnings of increasing social conflicts and an erosion of solidarity in European societies are exaggerated" (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))