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Evaluating Labour Market Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Eichhorst, Werner

    (IZA)

  • Konle-Seidl, Regina

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg)

Abstract

Labour market institutions are deemed to have a great influence on the level and structure of employment. This holds for regulation on employment protection, minimum wages or tax/benefit systems as well as active labour market policies. This is why policy makers implement labour market reforms in order to stimulate job creation. The hope linked to labour market reforms is a sustainable reduction of structural and cyclical unemployment. This chapter reviews major approaches and findings on the evaluation of the impact of different labour market institutions but pays particular attention to active labour market policies that play an important role in the portfolio of economic policy makers in many OECD countries for several decades. Rigorous evaluation in this field has grown rapidly since the early 2000s. Describing concrete evaluation studies we focus on the important role of good data, methodological problems and discuss the impact on participants as well as possible effects on non-participants. We further describe how to investigate whether a programme also achieved positive net effects at a macroeconomic level. Finally, we have a closer look on policy implications and interactions with other institutional features.

Suggested Citation

  • Eichhorst, Werner & Konle-Seidl, Regina, 2016. "Evaluating Labour Market Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 9966, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp9966
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sara Rica & Lucía Gorjón, 2019. "Assessing the impact of a minimum income scheme: the Basque Country case," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 10(3), pages 251-280, November.
    2. Jollès, Maya & Meyermans, Eric & Vašíček, Bořek, 2023. "Determinants of macroeconomic resilience in the euro area: An empirical assessment of national policy levers," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(3).
    3. Gianluca Misuraca & Giulio Pasi & Fabienne Abadie & Csaba Kucsera & Marco Virginillo, 2017. "Exploring the role of ICT-Enabled Social Innovation to support the modernisation of EU Social Protection Systems: findings and insights from analysis of case studies in fourteen Member States," JRC Research Reports JRC106484, Joint Research Centre.
    4. Avram, Silvia & Brewer, Mike & Salvatori, Andrea, 2018. "Can't work or won't work: Quasi-experimental evidence on work search requirements for single parents," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 63-85.
    5. Chiara Natalie Focacci, 2020. "“You reap what you sow”: Do active labour market policies always increase job security? Evidence from the Youth Guarantee," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 373-429, June.
    6. Ulrike Huemer & Rainer Eppel & Marion Kogler & Helmut Mahringer & Lukas Schmoigl & David Pichler, 2021. "Effektivität von Instrumenten der aktiven Arbeitsmarktpolitik in unterschiedlichen Konjunkturphasen," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 67250, January.
    7. Marwa Sahnoun & Chokri Abdennadher, 2018. "The assessment of active labor market policies: evidence from OECD countries," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 35(2), pages 257-283, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    active labour market policies; evaluation; labour market institutions; employment protection;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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