43 research outputs found
Welfare-to-Work Experiences with Specific Work-First Programmes in Selected Countries
This paper reviews the evidence of specific mandatory work-first programmes (job search assistance and workfare) for welfare recipients in the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. It primarily refers to experimental and econometric evaluations. The effectiveness of specific programme elements in promoting the transition from welfare to work is compared. The advantage of combining work-first with training programmes and inwork benefits is discussed. Some policy conclusions are drawn.welfare-to-work, evaluations
Contracting out Employment Services Involving Temporary Agency Work in Germany
Since 2003 the German Public Employment Service has been experimenting with the contracting out of various services. One of the new labour market programmes is Personnel Service Agencies, which provide client firms with jobseekers on a temporary assignment basis and are responsible for integrating jobseekers into non-subsidised employment. By contracting out employment services, the Public Employment Service seeks to exploit efficiency gains characteristic of enterprises that compete in quasi-markets. In order to integrate jobseekers as rapidly as possible, a result-oriented system of incentives has been developed. This paper describes the institutional setting and ex-amines its appropriateness for efficient job placement services.Contracting-out, personnel service agency, quasi-markets, temporary agency work
Transgenic Insecticidal Crops and Natural Enemies: A Detailed Review of Laboratory Studies
This review uses a data-driven, quantitative method to summarize the published, peer-reviewed literature about the impact of genetically modified (GM) plants on arthropod natural enemies in laboratory experiments. The method is similar to meta-analysis, and, in contrast to a simple author-vote counting method used by several earlier reviews, gives an objective, data-driven summary of existing knowledge about these effects. Significantly more non-neutral responses were observed than expected at random in 75% of the comparisons of natural enemy groups and response classes. These observations indicate that Cry toxins and proteinase inhibitors often have non-neutral effects on natural enemies. This synthesis identifies a continued bias toward studies on a few predator species, especially the green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea Stephens, which may be more sensitive to GM insecticidal plants (16.8% of the quantified parameter responses were significantly negative) than predators in general (10.9% significantly negative effects without C. carnea). Parasitoids were more susceptible than predators to the effects of both Cry toxins and proteinase inhibitors, with fewer positive effects (18.0%, significant and nonsignificant positive effects combined) than negative ones (66.1%, significant and nonsignificant negative effects combined). GM plants can have a positive effect on natural enemies (4.8% of responses were significantly positive), although significant negative (21.2%) effects were more common. Although there are data on 48 natural enemy species, the database is still far from adequate to predict the effect of a Bt toxin or proteinase inhibitor on natural enemies
Contracting out Employment Services Involving Temporary Agency Work in Germany
Since 2003 the German Public Employment Service has been experimenting with the contracting out of various services. One of the new labour market programmes is Personnel Service Agencies, which provide client firms with jobseekers on a temporary assignment basis and are responsible for integrating jobseekers into non-subsidised employment. By contracting out employment services, the Public Employment Service seeks to exploit efficiency gains characteristic of enterprises that compete in quasi-markets. In order to integrate jobseekers as rapidly as possible, a result-oriented system of incentives has been developed. This paper describes the institutional setting and ex-amines its appropriateness for efficient job placement services
Folk schools: Um estudo de caso
O presente trabalho tem como Ăąmbito de estudo o campo da educação nĂŁo formal. Trata-se de uma investigação qualitativa descritiva, com o objectivo geral de descrever todos os aspectos da actividade de uma folk school, um espaço de educação nĂŁo formal, situada no sul da Dinamarca, sob as perspectivas de professores e alunos. Participaram neste estudo trĂȘs entidades que fazem parte deste modelo de educação nĂŁo formal, tendo sido realizadas entrevistas ao Director, a trĂȘs professores e a sete alunos. Para a recolha de dados foi utilizado um guiĂŁo de entrevista semi-estruturada. Os dados recolhidos pelas entrevistas foram organizados em categorias e foi realizada a anĂĄlise de conteĂșdo. Como resultado deste estudo temos a descrição do funcionamento da escola analisada, bem como testemunhos da forma como este tipo de educação desenvolve o espĂrito de comunidade e cidadania, potenciando, tambĂ©m, o desenvolvimento pessoal e profissional. /ABSTRACT: This work develops in the study field of non-formal education. It is a descriptive, qualitative research, with the overall aim of describing all aspects of the activity of a folk school, located in southern Denmark, an institution of nonÂformal education, seen through the perspectives of both teachers and students. Three entities that are involved in this type of non-formal education have participated in present study, so the director, three teachers and seven students were interviewed. ln order to collect data we applied semi-structured interviews. The data thus obtained in the interviews was organized into categories and, afterwards, their content was analyzed. From this study results the description of the activity done in the school studied, as well as the testimony of how this kind of education develops a spirit of community and citizenship, also enhancing the personal and professional development and improvement
Urban food strategies in Central and Eastern Europe: what's specific and what's at stake?
Integrating a larger set of instruments into
Rural Development Programmes implied an increasing
focus on monitoring and evaluation. Against the highly
diversified experience with regard to implementation
of policy instruments the Common Monitoring
and Evaluation Framework has been set up by the EU
Commission as a strategic and streamlined method of
evaluating programmesâ impacts. Its indicator-based
approach mainly reflects the concept of a linear,
measure-based intervention logic that falls short of
the true nature of RDP operation and impact capacity
on rural changes. Besides the different phases of the
policy process, i.e. policy design, delivery and evaluation,
the regional context with its specific set of challenges
and opportunities seems critical to the understanding
and improvement of programme performance.
In particular the role of local actors can hardly
be grasped by quantitative indicators alone, but has
to be addressed by assessing processes of social
innovation. This shift in the evaluation focus underpins
the need to take account of regional implementation
specificities and processes of social innovation as
decisive elements for programme performance.
The effect of radiation and convection on stellar oscillations
Includes abstract.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-164)