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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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

Abstract

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

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Betcherman, Gordon, N. Meltem Daysal & Carmen Pages (2010): Do employment subsidies work? Evidence from regionally targeted subsidies in Turkey. In: Labour economics, Jg. 17, H. 4, S. 710-722. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2009.12.002

Abstract

"This paper studies the effects on registered employment and number of registered establishments of two employment subsidy schemes in Turkey. We implement a difference-in-differences methodology to construct appropriate counterfactuals for the covered provinces. Our findings suggest that both subsidy programs did lead to significant net increases in registered jobs in eligible provinces (5% - 13% for the first program and 11% - 15% for the second). However, the cost of the actual job creation was high because of substantial deadweight losses, particularly for the first program (47% and 78%). Because of better design features, the second subsidy program had lower, though still significant, deadweight losses (27% - 46%). Although constrained by data availability, the evidence suggests that the dominant effect of subsidies was to increase social security registration of firms and workers rather than boosting total employment and economic activity. This supports the theory that in countries with weak enforcement institutions, high labor taxes on low-wage workers may lead to substantial incentives for firms and workers to operate informally." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bloom, Dan (2010): Transitional jobs. Background, program models, and evaluation evidence. New York, NY, 59 S.

Abstract

"The budget for the U.S. Department of Labor for Fiscal Year 2010 includes a total of $45 million to support and study transitional jobs. This paper describes the origins of the transitional jobs models that are operating today, reviews the evidence on the effectiveness of this approach and other subsidized employment models, and offers some suggestions regarding the next steps for program design and research. The paper was produced for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by MDRC as part of the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ project, which includes two random assignment evaluations of transitional jobs programs.
Transitional jobs programs provide temporary, wage-paying jobs, support services, and job placement help to individuals who have difficulty getting and holding jobs in the regular labor market. Although recent evaluation results have raised doubts about whether TJ programs, as currently designed, are an effective way to improve participants' long-term employment prospects, the studies have also confirmed that TJ programs can be operated at scale, can create useful work opportunities for very disadvantaged people, and can lead to critical indirect impacts such as reducing recidivism among former prisoners. Thus, in drawing lessons from the recent results, the paper argues that it may be important to think more broadly about the goals of TJ programs while simultaneously testing new strategies that may produce better long-term employment outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Card, David, Jochen Kluve & Andrea Weber (2010): Active labor market policy evaluations. A meta-analysis. (NBER working paper 16173), Cambridge, Mass., 48 S. DOI:10.3386/w16173

Abstract

"This paper presents a meta-analysis of recent microeconometric evaluations of active labor market policies. Our sample contains 199 separate 'program estimates' - estimates of the impact of a particular program on a specific subgroup of participants - drawn from 97 studies conducted between 1995 and 2007. For about one-half of the sample we have both a short-term program estimate (for a one-year post-program horizon) and a medium- or long-term estimate (for 2 or 3 year horizons). We categorize the estimated post-program impacts as significantly positive, insignificant, or significantly negative. By this criterion we find that job search assistance programs are more likely to yield positive impacts, whereas public sector employment programs are less likely. Classroom and on-the-job training programs yield relatively positive impacts in the medium term, although in the short-term these programs often have insignificant or negative impacts. We also find that the outcome variable used to measure program impact matters. In particular, studies based on registered unemployment are more likely to yield positive program impacts than those based on other outcomes (like employment or earnings). On the other hand, neither the publication status of a study nor the use of a randomized design is related to the sign or significance of the corresponding program estimate. Finally, we use a subset of studies that focus on post-program employment to compare meta-analytic models for the 'effect size' of a program estimate with models for the sign and significance of the estimated program effect. We find that the two approaches lead to very similar conclusions about the determinants of program impact." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kahn, Lawrence M. (2010): Labor market policy. A comparative view on the costs and benefits of labor market flexibility. (IZA discussion paper 5100), Bonn, 36 S.

Abstract

"I review theories and evidence on wage-setting institutions and labor market policies in an international comparative context. These include collective bargaining, minimum wages, employment protection laws, unemployment insurance (UI), mandated parental leave, and active labor market policies (ALMPs). Since it is unlikely that an unregulated private sector would provide the income insurance these institutions do, these policies may enhance economic efficiency. However, to the extent that unemployment or resource misallocation results from such measures, these efficiency gains may be offset. Overall, Scandinavia and Central Europe follow distinctively more interventionist policies than the English speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Possible explanations for such differences include vulnerability to external market forces and ethnic homogeneity. I then review evidence on the impacts of these policies and institutions. While the interventionist model appears to cause lower levels of wage inequality and high levels of job security to incumbent workers, it also in some cases leads to the relegation of new entrants (disproportionately women, youth and immigrants) as well as the less skilled to temporary jobs or unemployment. Making labor markets more flexible could bring these groups into the regular labor market to a greater extent, at the expense of higher levels of economic insecurity for incumbents and higher levels of wage inequality. The Danish model of loosening employment protections while providing relatively generous UI benefits with strict job search requirements holds out the possibility of reducing barriers for new entrants and the less skilled while maintaining some level of income insurance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kluve, Jochen (2010): The effectiveness of European active labor market programs. In: Labour economics, Jg. 17, H. 6, S. 904-918. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2010.02.004

Abstract

"Active Labor Market Programs are widely used in European countries, but despite many econometric evaluation studies analyzing particular programs no conclusive cross-country evidence exists regarding 'what program works for what target group under what (economic and institutional) circumstances?'. This paper aims at answering this question using a meta-analysis based on a data set that comprises 137 program evaluations from 19 countries. The empirical results of the meta-analysis are surprisingly clear-cut: Rather than contextual factors such as labor market institutions or the business cycle, it is almost exclusively the program type that seems to matter for program effectiveness. While direct employment programs in the public sector frequently appear detrimental, wage subsidies and 'Services and Sanctions' can be effective in increasing participants' employment probability. Training programs - the most commonly used type of active policy - show modestly positive effects." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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McInnes, Melayne Morgan, Orgul Demet Ozturk, Suzanne McDermott & Joshua R. Mann (2010): Does supported employment work? In: Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Jg. 29, H. 3, S. 506-525. DOI:10.1002/pam.20507

Abstract

"Providing employment-related services, including supported employment through job coaches, has been a priority in federal policy since the enactment of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act in 1984. We take advantage of a unique panel data set of all clients served by the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs between 1999 and 2005 to investigate whether job coaching leads to stable employment in community settings. The data contain information on individual characteristics, such as IQ and the presence of emotional and behavioral problems, that are likely to affect both employment propensity and likelihood of receiving job coaching. Our results show that unobserved individual characteristics and endogeneity strongly bias naive estimates of the effects of job coaching. However, even after correcting for these biases, an economically and statistically significant treatment effect remains" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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O'Leary, Christopher J. & Randall W. Eberts (2010): Employment and training policy in the United States during the economic crisis. (Upjohn Institute staff working paper 2010-161), Kalamazoo, MI, 35 S. DOI:10.17848/wp10-161

Abstract

"This paper examines labor market conditions and public employment policies in the United States during what some are calling the Great Recession. We document the dramatic labor market changes that rapidly unfolded when the rate of gross domestic product growth turned negative, from the end of 2007 through early 2009. The paper reviews the resulting stress on labor market support programs and the broad federal response. That response came through modifications to existing programs and the introduction of new mechanisms to help Americans cope with job loss and protracted unemployment. The particular focus is on federally supported public programs for occupational job skills training and temporary income replacement. We also discuss procedures for evaluating the effectiveness of public reemployment efforts, and adjustments to these programs that were adopted during the crisis." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Plesca, Miana (2010): A general equilibrium evaluation of the employment service. In: Journal of Human Capital, Jg. 4, H. 3, S. 274-329.

Abstract

"This paper provides a general equilibrium evaluation of the Employment Service, also known as the Public Labor Exchange (PLX), a national program that facilitates meetings between job seekers and vacancies. The paper departs from the standard partial equilibrium framework of program evaluation by constructing a dynamic general equilibrium matching model with the PLX as a directed search channel and all other search methods as the other channel. In the calibrated model, the general equilibrium impacts of the PLX are different from the standard partial equilibrium ones, mainly because employers post more high-skill vacancies when both search channels operate." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Whelan, Stephen (2010): The interaction between income support programs. In: Labour, Jg. 24, H. 4, S. 407-440. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9914.2010.00488.x

Abstract

"Employment insurance (EI) and social assistance (SA) represent two key income support programs in Canada. The structure of these programs is similar to those found in many countries where unemployed individuals may use a number of sources to fund job-search activities and provide income support during periods of diminished employment income. In this paper, we examine the nature of the interaction between the programs and their overall impact on labor market outcomes. We use the 1997 Canadian Out of Employment Panel data set to examine behavior of a set of individuals following the loss of employment. Results indicate that reductions in the generosity of SA results in lower use of both income support programs. Conversely, if the generosity of the EI program is curtailed this reduces use of the EI program and leads to greater use of the SA program." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Zabel, Jeffrey, Saul Schwartz & Stephen Donald (2010): The impact of the Self-Sufficiency Project on the employment behaviour of former welfare recipients. In: Canadian Journal of Economics, Jg. 43, H. 3, S. 882-918. DOI:10.1111/j.1540-5982.2010.01599.x

Abstract

"The Self-Sufficiency Project (SSP) was a Canadian randomized trial in which the program group had 12 months to find full-time employment in order to qualify for a subsidy that roughly doubled their pre-tax earnings for the next three years. We find evidence of significant impacts of SSP on non-employment and employment durations. For the treated group, simulation results show an impact on the employment rate at 52 months after random assignment in the range of 7 to 11 percentage points; this is approximately a 25% increase in the employment rate compared with having no treatment in place." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Barnow, Burt S. (2009): Vouchers in U.S. vocational training programs. An overview of what we have learned. In: Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung, Jg. 42, H. 1, S. 71-84. DOI:10.1007/s12651-009-0007-9

Abstract

"Eine wichtige Entscheidung, die bei der Durchführung von Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen für benachteiligte Arbeitnehmer getroffen werden muss, betrifft den Umfang, in dem die spezifischen Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen für die Teilnehmer durch das Programm festgelegt werden beziehungsweise die Frage, ob die Teilnehmer Gutscheine erhalten sollen, die ihnen selbst die Wahl der Maßnahme überlassen. Im Laufe der vergangenen 40 Jahre wurde in den USA eine Reihe von Weiterbildungsprogrammen durchgeführt, einige davon unter Verwendung von Gutscheinen oder gutscheinähnlichen Mitteln, mit denen die Teilnehmer ihre Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen selbst bestimmen konnten. In dieser Arbeit werden die US-amerikanischen Erfahrungen auf diesem Feld ausgewertet. Obwohl Gutscheine dem Verbraucher ein Maximum an Wahlmöglichkeiten bieten und die Notwendigkeit staatlicher Aufsicht verringern, führen sie aufgrund unzureichender Informationen und der Abweichung zwischen den staatlichen Zielen und denen des Teilnehmers nicht unbedingt zu optimalen Ergebnissen. Evaluationen von Weiterbildungsprogrammen für sozial benachteiligte und freigesetzte Arbeitnehmer führten zu gemischten Ergebnissen. Viele der Studien ließen erkennen, dass trotz der allgemeinen Beliebtheit von Gutscheinen auf Teilnehmerseite die Wirksamkeit von Gutscheinprogrammen für sozial benachteiligte Teilnehmer oft geringer ist als für Gruppen ohne Gutscheine. Bei den freigesetzten Arbeitnehmern sind die Befunde gemischt. Wenn bei ihnen Gutscheine verwendet werden, können die richtige Beratung und Beurteilung sowie Angaben über die Leistungen des Anbieters ihre Leistung verbessern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Bartik, Timothy J., Randall Eberts & Ken Kline (2009): Estimating a performance standards adjustment model for workforce programs that provides timely feedback and uses data from only one state. (Upjohn Institute staff working paper 2009-144), Kalamazoo, 58 S.

Abstract

"The purpose of this paper is to describe a methodology for adjusting performance standards for workforce programs offered by local workforce areas (LWAs). By performance standards adjustment, we mean a model that uses a statistical approach to attempt to better measure the relative performance of different local workforce areas in providing workforce system customers with 'value added' in terms of the system's desired outcomes. Our paper's approach has four distinguishing features. First, the performance standards are based on the common measures proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor, which include short- and longer-term employment outcomes. Second, the model is estimated using data from only one state, which allows each state greater flexibility in adapting the adjustment model to the state's needs and available data. Third, the model is estimated using data on individual customers, which offers some estimation advantages, particularly when data from only one state is available. Fourth, since some of the common measures are not available until long after the program year is completed, we include real-time predictions of the current performance of the LWA and an assessment of whether or not it will meet its performance standards when the common measure data is eventually available. This more timely feedback on performance provides administrators the opportunity to better manage their operations and offer services that best meet the needs of their customers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Card, David, Jochen Kluve & Andrea Weber (2009): Active labor market policy evaluations. A meta-analysis. (IZA discussion paper 4002), Bonn, 51 S.

Abstract

"In dieser Meta-Analyse aktueller mikroökonometrischer Evaluationen aktiver Arbeitsmarktpolitik werden 97 Studien aus dem Zeitraum 1995 bis 2007 ausgewertet. Im Vergleich der Programmtypen haben demnach subventionierte Beschäftigungsprogramme des öffentlichen Sektors den geringsten Effekt. Programme, die Unterstützung bei der Jobsuche bieten, haben kurzzeitig einen relativ positiven Effekt, während Gruppen- und On-the-job-Trainingsprogramme mittelfristig besser abschneiden als kurzfristig. Kontrolliert man für die Ergebnisgröße sowie den Programm- und Teilnehmertyp, haben experimentelle und nicht-experimentelle Studien ähnliche Anteile signifikant negativer und positiver Einflussschätzungen. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass die Forschungsdesigns aktueller nicht-experimenteller Evaluationen nicht zu verzerrten Ergebnissen führen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Heinrich, Carolyn J., Peter R. Mueser, Kenneth R. Troske, Kyung-Seong Jeon & Daver C. Kahvecioglu (2009): New estimates of public employment and training program net impacts. A nonexperimental evaluation of the Workforce Investment Act Program. (IZA discussion paper 4569), Bonn, 59 S.

Abstract

"This paper presents nonexperimental net impact estimates for the Adult and Dislocated Worker programs under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the primary federal job training program in the U.S, based on administrative data from 12 states, covering approximately 160,000 WIA participants and nearly 3 million comparison group members. The key measure of interest is the difference in average quarterly earnings or employment attributable to WIA program participation for those who participate, estimated for up to four years following entry into the program using propensity score matching methods. The results for the average participant in the WIA Adult program show that participating is associated with a severalhundred-dollar increase in quarterly earnings. Adult program participants who obtain training have lower earnings in the months during training and the year after exit than those who don't receive training, but they catch up within 10 quarters, ultimately registering large total gains. The marginal benefits of training exceed, on average, $400 in earnings each quarter three years after program entry. Dislocated Workers experience several quarters for which earnings are depressed relative to comparison group workers after entering WIA, and although their earnings ultimately match or overtake the comparison group, the benefits they obtain are smaller than for those in the Adult program." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lindsay, Colin & Ronald W. McQuaid (2009): New governance and the case of activation policies. Comparing experiences in Denmark and the Netherlands. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 43, H. 5, S. 445-463. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9515.2009.00673.x

Abstract

"This article explores the importance of new forms of governance in active labour market policies (activation) in two countries: Denmark and the Netherlands. Drawing on research with key stakeholders in these countries, we analyse how new governance, and particularly processes of contracting-out and localization, have found expression in recent reforms to activation. We conclude that localization and contracting-out may have a future role to play in the development of more locally responsive and individually focused services. But both countries have encountered problems in promoting joined-up services through local jobcentres, while contracting-out has not always led to the tailored, individually focused services envisaged by policy-makers. In both countries, there are also concerns that the restriction of the Public Employment Service to a 'gatekeeping and signposting' role will lead to inconsistencies in the quality of services, exposing the most disadvantaged to greater social risk." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Watkins-Hayes, Celeste (2009): The New Welfare Bureaucrats. Entanglements of Race, Class, and Policy Reform. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 315 S.

Abstract

"As the recession worsens, more and more Americans must turn to welfare to make ends meet. Once inside the agency, the newly jobless will face a bureaucracy that has undergone massive change since the advent of welfare reform in 1996. A behind-the-scenes look at bureaucracy’s human face, The New Welfare Bureaucrats is a compelling study of welfare officers and how they navigate the increasingly tangled political and emotional terrain of their jobs. Celeste Watkins-Hayes here reveals how welfare reform engendered a shift in focus for caseworkers from simply providing monetary aid to the much more complex process of helping recipients find work. Now both more intimately involved in their clients’ lives and wielding greater power over their well-being, welfare officers’ racial, class, and professional identities have become increasingly important factors in their work. Based on the author’s extensive fieldwork in two very different communities in the northeast, The New Welfare Bureaucrats is a boon to anyone looking to understand the impact of the institutional and policy changes wrought by welfare reform as well as the subtle social dynamics that shape the way welfare is meted out at the individual Level." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © University of Chicago Press) ((en))

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Eyal, Yonatan & Michael Beenstock (2008): Sign reversal in LIVE treatment effect estimates. The effect of vocational training on unemployment duration. In: Labour economics, Jg. 15, H. 5, S. 1102-1125. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2007.10.001

Abstract

"We use administrative records in Israel to identify the treatment effect of vocational training for the unemployed on the duration of unemployment. We randomize training using data on the availability of courses in and around the time of becoming unemployed. This assumes that the timing of entry into unemployment is random, and course availability around the time of entry is independent of current labor market conditions. According to naive estimators, which ignore self-selectivity, training reduces unemployment durations. The same applies to linear (IV) estimators, which control for self-selectivity. However, the opposite is found when non-linear IV estimators are used, i.e. training prolongs unemployment durations. Sign reversal depends on how the first stage is specified. A non-nested test indicates that the nonlinear estimate of the treatment effect is preferable to its linear counterpart, in which case training prolongs unemployment spells." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hipp, Lena & Mildred E. Warner (2008): Market forces for the unemployed? Training vouchers in Germany and the USA. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 42, H. 1, S. 77-101. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9515.2007.00589.x

Abstract

"Vouchers are meant to increase competition and consumer choice in public service markets. Using the example of training vouchers for the unemployed in the USA and Germany, we show, however, that deficits, both on the demand and the supply side of the market, create problems with preference alignment and market formation. Information asymmetries undermine choice by the unemployed and reduce government control over the training system. Ironically, restrictions meant to compensate for these information deficits further inhibit competitive market formation. Evaluation data on training vouchers from both countries show that voucher systems do not increase choice, but weaken the partnerships public employment agencies previously had with training providers, and may lead to a shortage of high-quality and specialized training, as well as creaming in the selection of training participants. Theoretical justification for vouchers is based on the notion of choice and consumer sovereignty. Using this framework to analyse the changed relationship between government, private training providers, and jobseekers, we challenge the efficacy of vouchers as a delivery mechanism in complex public service markets such as job training." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hollenbeck, Kevin (2008): Sensitivity testing of net impact estimates of workforce development programs using administrative data. (Upjohn Institute staff working paper 2008-139), Kalamazoo, 55 S. DOI:10.17848/wp08-139

Abstract

"This paper addresses the question of whether administrative data sources, such as performance monitoring data, can be used for program evaluation purposes. It argues that under certain circumstances, such data can be used. In particular, program performance data that are routinely gathered and monitored by administrators of many workforce development programs meet these circumstances. The paper goes on to demonstrate the point by using administrative data from the state of Washington to examine the net impact on earnings and employment of services provided to adults under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Because of a lack of consensus about appropriate net impact estimators, the strategy of this paper is to examine the sensitivity of the results to various estimation techniques. The paper describes the various estimation techniques, and it summarizes the net impact estimates that are generated for the State of Washington. For the most part, the results are fairly stable across the techniques, which the paper argues adds a degree of confidence in them. The final section of the paper offers guidance to policymakers and program administrators who may not be familiar with the technical details of various analytical approaches about how empirical results that may appear to be complex or unstable can be used for program improvement." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hsiao, Cheng, Yan Shen, Boqing Wang & Greg Weeks (2008): Evaluating the effectiveness of Washington state repeated job search services on the employment rate of prime-age female welfare recipients. In: Journal of econometrics, Jg. 145, H. 1/2, S. 98-108. DOI:10.1016/j.jeconom.2008.05.011

Abstract

"This paper uses an unbalanced panel dataset to evaluate how repeated job search services (JSS) and personal characteristics affect the employment rate of the prime-age female welfare recipients in the State of Washington. We propose a transition probability model to take into account issues of sample attrition, sample refreshment and duration dependence. We also generalize Honoré and Kyriazidou's [Honoré, B.E., Kyriazidou, E., 2000. Panel data discrete choice models with lagged dependent variables. Econometrica 68 (4), 839-874] conditional maximum likelihood estimator to allow for the presence of individual-specific effects. A limited information test is suggested to test for selection issues in non-experimental data. The specification tests indicate that the (conditional on the set of the confounding variables considered) assumptions of no selection due to unobservables and/or no unobserved individual-specific effects are not violated. Our findings indicate that the first job search service does have positive and significant impacts on the employment rate. However, providing repeated JSS to the same client has no significant impact. Further, we find that there are significant experience-enhancing effects. These findings suggest that providing one job search services training to individuals may have a lasting impact on raising their employment rates." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kluve, Jochen, Hartmut Lehmann & Christoph M. Schmidt (2008): Disentangling treatment effects of active labor market policies. The role of labor force status sequences. In: Labour economics, Jg. 15, H. 6, S. 1270-1295. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2007.12.002

Abstract

"This paper estimates treatment effects of two active labor market policies - a training program and a wage subsidy scheme - on participants' employment probabilities. The analysis is based on unique data from the 18th wave of the Polish Labor Force Survey containing detailed and extensive individual labor force status histories. We discuss two variants of an exact covariate matching procedure adapted to the specific nature of the data. Our study confirms and reinforces a point raised in recent research [Heckman, J.J., Smith, J.A. The Pre-programme Earnings Dip and the Determinants of Participation in a Social Programme: Implications for Simple Programme Evaluation Strategies. The Economic Journal 1999; 109; 313-348., Heckman, J.J., Smith, J.A. The Determinants of Participation in a Social Program: Evidence from a Prototypical Job Training Program. Journal of Labor Economics 2004; 22; 243-298.], that pre-treatment labor force status dynamics play a decisive role in determining program participation. We implement a conditional difference-in-differences estimator of treatment effects based on these individual trinomial sequences of pre-treatment labor market status. The estimator employs a 'moving window' technique that nicely controls for changes in the macroeconomic environment over time. Our findings suggest that training raises individual employment probability, while wage subsidies display negative treatment effects for participants in the Polish case." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Svensson, Jörgen, Willem Trommel & Tineke Lantink (2008): Reemployment services in the Netherlands. A comparative study of bureaucratic, market, and network forms of organization. In: Public Administration Review, Jg. 68, H. 3, S. 505-515. DOI:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.00886.x

Abstract

"Progress in New Public Management research requires careful comparison of different organizational approaches to public tasks, preferably within a single political and institutional setting. This paper presents a study of three approaches to reemployment services, a recent development in the Netherlands. How do bureaucratic, networked, and market-based forms of organization function with regard to the new public aim of second-tier reemployment in the Netherlands? It appears that there is no simple dependence between performance and instrumental or organizational features. Even in the setting of a single welfare state, intricate interactions exist between performance, stakeholder interests, and institutional conditions. Given the importance of these interactions, New Public Management research would benefit by shifting focus away from organizational performance toward a 'politics of institutional structuring.'" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dmitrijeva, Jekaterina & Mihails Hazans (2007): A stock-flow matching approach to evaluation of public training programme in a high unemployment environment. In: Labour, Jg. 21, H. 3, S. 503-540.

Abstract

"Monthly panel (1998-2003) data from regional labour offices in Latvia are used to analyse the matching process in a high unemployment-low labour demand environment and to evaluate the impact of active labour market policy programmes on outflows from unemployment. Results suggest that the hiring process is driven by a stock-flow rather than by a traditional matching function: the stock of unemployed at the beginning of the month and flow of vacancies arriving during the month are the key determinants of outflows from unemployment to employment, whereas stock of vacancies and inflow of unemployed do not play any significant role. We find positive and significant effect of training programmes on outflows from unemployment to employment, thus providing strong evidence against cuts in training expenditures." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Finn, Dan (2007): Contracting out welfare to work in the USA. Delivery lessons. (Department of Work and Pensions. Research report 466), London, 34 S.

Abstract

"There has been no comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of contracting out welfare to work in the USA. This literature review explores survey and case study evidence published by various policy institutes and academics and from the reports of various audit, oversight and regulatory authorities. A number of key lessons can be drawn from this research regarding contracting out welfare to work provision." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kaps, Petra & Holger Schütz (2007): Privatisierung von Arbeitsvermittlungsdienstleistungen - Wundermittel zur Effizienzsteigerung? Eine Bestandsaufnahme deutscher und internationaler Erfahrungen. (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung. Discussion papers SP 1 2007-101), Berlin, 65 S.

Abstract

"Seit 1998 - und verstärkt im Zuge der so genannten Hartz-Reformen - werden Vermittlungsdienstleistungen privater Anbieter zunehmend öffentlich über Contracting Out und Gutscheinverfahren gefördert und als Alternative zur öffentlichen Arbeitsvermittlung diskutiert. Das Papier stellt aktuelle theoretische und empirische Befunde zu diesen Privatisierungsformen vor. Zunächst werden die Funktionsvoraussetzungen einer Steuerung der Leistungserbringung durch private Dienstleister (Agenten) im Auftrag der öffentlichen Hand (Prinzipal) an so genannten Quasi-Märkten erörtert. Sodann werden Ergebnisse der Evaluation der neuen Vermittlungsinstrumente Beauftragung Dritter nach § 37 SGB III, Eingliederungsmaßnahmen nach § 421i SGB III und dem Vermittlungsgutschein vorgelegt, gefolgt von Befunden zum Kontraktmanagement von Arbeitsvermittlungsdienstleistungen in Australien, Großbritannien (Employment Zones) und den Niederlanden. Aufgrund der deutschen und internationalen Ergebnisse kommen die Autoren zu dem Schluss, dass angesichts der komplexen Funktionsvoraussetzungen und des hohen Regulierungsbedarfs die Effizienzsteigerungspotentiale der Arbeitsvermittlung durch die Beauftragung privater Dritter beschränkt bleiben. Der Ausbau der dezentralen Handlungsspielräume der öffentlichen Arbeitsvermittlung stellt eine funktionale Alternative der Effizienzmobilisierung dar, deren Möglichkeiten noch nicht ausgeschöpft werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Kyyrä, Tomi & Ralf A. Wilke (2007): Reduction in the long-term unemployment of the elderly. A success story from Finland. In: Journal of the European Economic Association, Jg. 5, H. 1, S. 154-182. DOI:10.1162/JEEA.2007.5.1.154

Abstract

"In several European countries the elderly unemployed are allowed to collect unemployment benefits up to a certain age limit, after which they can retire via some early retirement scheme. In Finland the eligibility age of persons benefiting from this kind of scheme was raised from 53 to 55 in 1997. We consider layoff risks, unemployment durations, and the exit states before and after the reform. Since the reform the group aged 53-54 has had a lower risk of unemployment, shorter unemployment durations, and higher exit rates to employment, and it is almost indistinguishable from the group aged 50-52. We estimate that the amount of unemployment benefits saved due to the reform is close to EURO 100 million for each age cohort turning 53." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mueser, Peter R., Kenneth R. Troske & Alexey Gorislavsky (2007): Using state administrative data to measure program performance. In: The Review of Economics and Statistics, Jg. 89, H. 4, S. 761-783. DOI:10.1162/rest.89.4.761

Abstract

"We use administrative data from Missouri to examine the sensitivity of earnings impact estimates for a job training program based on alternative nonexperimental methods. We consider regression adjustment, Mahalanobis distance matching, and various methods using propensity-score matching, examining both cross-sectional estimates and difference-in-difference estimates. Specification tests suggest that the difference-in-difference estimator may provide a better measure of program impact. We find that propensity-score matching is most effective, but the detailed implementation is not of critical importance. Our analyses demonstrate that existing data can be used to obtain useful estimates of program impact." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pavoni, Nicola & G. L. Violante (2007): Optimal welfare-to-work programs. In: The Review of Economic Studies, Jg. 74, H. 1, S. 283-318.

Abstract

"A Welfare-to-Work (WTW) program is a mix of government expenditures on various labour market policies targeted to the unemployed (e.g. unemployment insurance (UI), job search monitoring (JM), social assistance (SA), wage subsidies). This paper provides a dynamic principal-agent framework suitable for analysing chief features of an optimal WTW program, such as the sequence and duration of the different policies, the dynamic pattern of payments along the unemployment spell, and the emergence of taxes/subsidies upon re-employment. The optimal program endogenously generates an absorbing policy of last resort ('social assistance') characterized by a constant lifetime payment and no active participation by the agent. Human capital depreciation is a necessary condition for policy transitions to be part of an optimal WTW program. The typical sequence of policies is quite simple: the program starts with standard UI, then switches into monitored search and, finally, into SA. The optimal benefits are decreasing during unemployment insurance and constant during both JM and SA. Whereas taxes (subsidies) can be either increasing or decreasing with duration during UI, they must decrease (increase) during a phase of JM. In a calibration exercise, we use our model to analyse quantitatively the features of the optimal program for the U.S. economy. With respect to the existing U.S. system, the optimal WTW scheme delivers sizeable welfare gains to unskilled workers because the incentives to search for a job can be retained even while delivering more insurance and using costly monitoring less intensively." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Plesca, Miana & Jeffrey Smith (2007): Evaluating multi-treatment programs. Theory and evidence from the U.S. Job Training Partnership Act experiment. In: Empirical economics, Jg. 32, H. 2/3, S. 491-528. DOI:10.1007/s00181-006-0095-0

Abstract

Der Beitrag befasst sich mit der Evaluierung von Multiple-Treatment-Programmen. Die theoretische Diskussion erläutert den Kompromiss zwischen der Auswertung des Programms im Ganzen und einer getrennten Evaluierung der verschiedenen individuellen Maßnahmen und Verfahren. Die empirische Analyse unterstreicht, wie wichtig es ist, Multi-Treatment-Programme zu zerlegen und benutzt dabei Daten einer Untersuchung in den USA zum nationalen Arbeitsförderungsgesetz (National Job Training Partnership Act - JTPA). Die Untersuchung umfasst sowohl experimentelle Daten, die als Richtgröße dienen, als auch nicht-exprimentelle Daten. Das JTPA-Experiment unterteilt das Programm in drei Komponenten, die unterschiedlichen Dienstleistungen entsprechen. Im Gegensatz zu vorangegangenen Arbeiten, die das Programm als Ganzes analysierten, werden die Komponenten getrennt analysiert. Ungeachtet der relativ geringen Größe der Stichproben illustrieren die Ergebnisse, wie wertvolle Einsichten in Verlauf und Wirkung des Programms verloren gehen können, wenn die einzelnen Verfahren und Maßnahmen zusammengefasst werden. Darüber hinaus wird gezeigt, dass viele der Erkenntnisse, die sich aus der Analyse des JTPA als Ganzes ergeben, auf die individuellen Komponenten des Programms übertragen werden können. (IAB)

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Schöller, Deborah (2007): Service offshoring and the demand for less-skilled labor. Evidence from Germany. (Hohenheimer Diskussionsbeiträge 287/2007), Stuttgart, 38 S.

Abstract

"Besides material offshoring, economists have started to analyze the impact of service offshoring on domestic employment. Services are of particular interest since their significance has grown in terms of both quantity and quality. One decade ago, most services were considered non-tradable, but the emergence of new information and communication technologies has contributed to overcoming geographical distance. The move towards the liberalization of international service trade has further accelerated this process. The empirical part of this paper first calculates German service offshoring intensities on a sectoral basis using input-output data. This measurement represents the proportion of imported service inputs used in home production. Germany's average service offshoring intensity more than doubled from 1991 to 2003. In a next step, the impact of service offshoring on the demand for heterogeneous labor in Germany is estimated at a sectoral level including 28 manufacturing sectors. The partial static equilibrium model is based on a variable unit cost function in the general translog form allowing for quasi-fixed input factors. Two different skill-levels are taken into account. The estimation results indicate that service offshoring reduced the relative demand for less-skilled labor in the German manufacturing sectors by on average -0.06 to -0.16% per year between 1991 and 2000." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Tang, Kwong-leung & Chau-kiu Cheung (2007): Programme effectiveness in activating welfare recipients to work. The case of Hong Kong. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 41, H. 7, S. 747-767. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9515.2007.00583.x

Abstract

"Some theories and research based on data in the West have implied the effectiveness of measures using the work-first approach, human capital development, community work experience, and financial incentives to promote welfare recipients' transition from welfare to work. Nevertheless, the generality of the implication does not hold without examining the effectiveness in a non-Western setting. The present study thus employs survey data from 1,240 welfare recipients in Hong Kong to investigate the effectiveness of various measures for raising the recipients' work motivation and diminishing their welfare dependency. The measures examined include the Intensive Employment Assistance Project (IEAP), Community Work (CW) Programme and Disregarded Earnings (DE) arrangements. Findings reveal the effectiveness of these three measures. Particularly, help received from various services of the IEAP was the principal factor in the effectiveness of the IEAP and the IEAP was effective for welfare recipients who were older or less skilled. The findings thus offer support to the generality of the claim about the effectiveness of welfare-to-work programmes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cebulla, Andreas & David Greenberg (2006): The effects of welfare-to-work programs in the United States. Findings of a meta-analysis. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Jg. 55, H. 6, S. 139-145.

Abstract

"Die Debatte über die Reform des Wohlfahrtsstaates in Deutschland zieht häufig Evaluationen von US-amerikanischen 'welfare-to-work'-Programmen heran, um die Argumente für mehr Aktivierung und die Reorganisation wohlfahrtsstaatlicher Strukturen zu beleuchten. Dies ist problematisch. da die dargestellten Beispiele von US-Programmen häufig unvollständig sind. Dieser Artikel fasst die Ergebnisse einer Metaanalyse von 79 US-amerikanischen 'welfare-to-work'-Programmen zusammen und stellt eine robuste Einschätzung ihrer Wirksamkeit dar, insbesondere deren Einfluss auf die Anzahl der Sozialleistungsempfänger, die Höhe der Leistungsaufwendung sowie Beschäftigung und Einkommen der Leistungsempfänger. Schlussfolgerungen für das Reformprogramm Deutschlands werden gezogen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Dyke, Andrew, Carolyn J. Heinrich, Peter R. Mueser, Kenneth R. Troske & Kyung-Seong Jeon (2006): The effects of welfare-to-work program activities on labor market outcomes. In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 24, H. 3, S. 567-607. DOI:10.1086/504642

Abstract

"Studies examining welfare-to-work program effectiveness present mixed and sometimes discrepant findings, partly due to research design, data, and methodological limitations. Using administrative data on Missouri and North Carolina welfare recipients, we substantially improve on past estimation approaches to identify the distinct effects of each state's welfare-to-work subprograms-assessment, job search assistance and job readiness training, and more intensive programs designed to augment human capital. More intensive training is associated with greater initial earnings losses but also greater long-run earnings gains. The negative program impacts we observe in quarters immediately following participation turn positive by the second year after participation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hill, Carolyn J. (2006): Casework job design and client outcomes in welfare-to-work offices. In: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Jg. 16, H. 2, S. 263-288. DOI:10.1093/jopart/mui043

Abstract

"Differences in performance across different locations of a human service program may be driven by client, managerial, organizational, policy, or environmental characteristics. While many of these factors are outside the control of local managers, other factors may be open to influence by local discretion and may have independent effects on performance. One issue facing local managers is how to divide job tasks among frontline staff, but little evidence is available regarding whether job design is related to performance. In this article, I examine the relationships between different casework task configurations and welfare-to-work office performance. Controlling for a number of client and office characteristics, I find that clients' average earnings are higher over a two-year period in offices that primarily use unified case management and in offices with a specialist who develops job opportunities. I find no effects on earnings in offices that use other kinds of specialists and no effects of unified case management or specialists on welfare benefit receipt in the two-year period. Overall, the findings suggest that local managerial decisions regarding job design help explain the variation in performance across offices and suggest a possible lever through which performance can be improved." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hotz, V. Joseph, Guido W. Imbens & Jacob A. Klerman (2006): Evaluating the differential effects of alternative welfare-to-work training components. A reanalysis of the California GAIN Program. In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 24, H. 3, S. 521-566.

Abstract

"We show how data from an evaluation in which subjects are randomly assigned to some treatment versus a control group can be combined with nonexperimental methods to estimate the differential effects of alternative treatments. We propose tests for the validity of these methods. We use these methods and tests to analyze the differential effects of labor force attachment (LFA) versus human capital development (HCD) training components with data from California's Greater Avenues to Independence (GAIN) program. While LFA is more effective than HCD training in the short term, we find that HCD is relatively more effective in the longer term." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hotz, V. Joseph, Guido W. Imbens & Jacob A. Klerman (2006): Evaluating the differential effects of alternative welfare-to-work training components. A re-analysis of the California GAIN Program. (NBER working paper 11939), Cambridge, Mass., 52 S. DOI:10.3386/w11939

Abstract

"In this paper, we explore ways of combining experimental data and non-experimental methods to estimate the differential effects of components of training programs. We show how data from a multi-site experimental evaluation in which subjects are randomly assigned to any treatment versus a control group who receives no treatment can be combined with non-experimental regression-adjustment methods to estimate the differential effects of particular types of treatments. We also devise tests of the validity of using the latter methods. We use these methods and tests to re-analyze data from the MDRC Evaluation of California's Greater Avenues to Independence (GAIN) program. While not designed to estimate the differential effects of the Labor Force Attachment (LFA) training and Human Capital Development (HCD) training components used in this program, we show how data from this experimental evaluation can be used in conjunction with non-experimental methods to estimate such effects. We present estimates of both the short- and long-term differential effects of these two training components on employment and earnings. We find that while there are short-term positive differential effects of LFA versus HCD, the latter training component is relatively more beneficial in the longer-term." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kluve, Jochen (2006): Die Wirksamkeit aktiver Arbeitsmarktpolitik in Europa. (RWI-Materialien 28), Essen, 17 S.

Abstract

"Die meisten europäischen Staaten setzen Maßnahmen der Aktiven Arbeitsmarktpolitik - z.B. Fortbildungsprogramme oder Lohnsubventionen - zur Bekämpfung der Arbeitslosigkeit ein, oftmals mit erheblichem finanziellen Aufwand. Es gibt jedoch kaum länderübergreifende empirische Erkenntnisse, welche Maßnahme unter welchen Bedingungen für welche Teilnehmergruppe tatsächlich wirksam ist. Eine Meta-Analyse auf Basis von Evaluationsstudien aus einzelnen europäischen Ländern kann diese Frage beantworten - mit überraschend deutlichen Ergebnissen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Lalive, Rafael (2006): How do extended benefits affect unemployment duration? A regression discontinuity approach. (IZA discussion paper 2200), Bonn, 33 S.

Abstract

"This paper studies a program that extends the maximum duration of unemployment benefits from 30 weeks to 209 weeks. Interestingly, this program is targeted to individuals aged 50 years or older, living in certain eligible regions in Austria. In the evaluation, I use sharp discontinuities in treatment assignment at age 50 and at the border between eligible regions and control regions to identify the effect of extended benefits on unemployment duration. Results indicate that the duration of job search is prolonged by at least .09 weeks per additional week of benefits among men, whereas unemployment duration increases by at least .32 weeks per additional week of benefits among women. The salient differences between men and women are consistent with the lower minimum age for early retirement applying to women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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O'Leary, Christopher J. (2006): State UI job search rules and reemployment services. In: Monthly labor review, Jg. 129, H. 6, S. 27-37.

Abstract

"Ever since the Federal-State unemployment insurance (UI) system was implemented following the enactment of the Social Security Act in 1935, the reemployment of claimants has been an important emphasis of the program. This article examines whether UI requirements pertaining to job searches and UI mechanisms connecting claimants with reemployment services tend to shorten the duration of those claimants' insured unemployment. Evidence is presented from a 2003 National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) survey of all State UI programs. Also presented is evidence about the effect of State UI policies and reemployment assistance on the duration of insured unemployment. Although the sizes of the estimated impacts differ, the consistent finding is that both UI work search requirements and UI reemployment services tend to shorten claimants' duration of insured unemployment by speeding their return to work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))