Does Active Labour Market Policy Work? Lessons from the Swedish Experiences

The Swedish experiences of the 1990s provide a unique example of how large-scale active labour market programmes (ALMPs) have been used as a means to fight high unemployment. This paper discusses the mechanisms through which ALMPs affect (un)employment and surveys the empirical studies of the effects of ALMPs in Sweden. The main conclusions are: (i) there is hardly any evidence for a positive effect on matching efficiency; (ii) there are some indications of positive effects on labour force participation; (iii) subsidised employment seems to cause displacement of regular employment, whereas this appears not to be the case for labour market training; (iv) it is unclear whether or not ALMPs raise aggregate wage pressure in the economy; (v) in the 1990s, training programmes seem not to have enhanced the employment probabilities of participants, whereas some forms of subsidised employment seem to have had such effects; and (vi) youth programmes seem to have caused substantial displacement effects at the same time as the gains for participants appear uncertain. On the whole, ALMPs have probably reduced open unemployment, but also reduced regular employment. The overall policy conclusion is that ALMPs of the scale used in Sweden in the 1990s are not an efficient means of employment policy. To be effective, ALMPs should be used on a smaller scale. There should be a greater emphasis on holding down long-term unemployment in general and a smaller emphasis on youth programmes. ALMPs should not be used as a means to renew unemployment benefit eligibility.Active; Labour; Market; Policy

Does Active Labour Market Policy Work? Lessons from the Swedish Experiences

The Swedish experiences of the 1990s provide a unique example of how large-scale active labour market programmes (ALMPs) have been used as a means to fight high unemployment. This paper surveys the empirical studies of the effects of ALMPs in Sweden. On the whole, ALMPs have probably reduced open unemployment, but also reduced regular employment. The overall policy conclusion is that ALMPs of the scale used in Sweden in the 1990s are not an efficient means of employment policy. To be effective, ALMPs should be used on a smaller scale.

Motivationsfrämjande : - en kvalitativ undersökning om ledares tillvägagångssätt för att skapa förutsättningar som kan leda till motivation hos medarbetare

Medarbetarna inom en organisation har en betydelsefull roll för verksamhetens utveckling och ledarna har en viktig funktion genom att de i stor utsträckning kan påverka medarbetarna. Syftet med vår undersökning var att fokusera på ledare inom IKEA AB och beskriva hur de arbetar utifrån strategin ”IKEA AB in change” för att skapa förutsättningar som ökar medarbetarnas motivation i arbetet. Vi inriktade oss på motivationsskapande inom områdena ledarskap, kommunikation och kompetens. Studien grundade sig på sammanlagt nio semistrukturerade intervjuer med ledare, HR-manager och fackordförande inom IKEA AB. Resultatet från vår studie visade på att de intervjuade ledarna överlag var duktiga på att skapa förutsättningar som leder till motivation hos medarbetarna och ingen utmärkte sig på ett speciellt vis utan de arbetade ganska likvärdigt. Det framkom bland annat att den demokratiska ledarstilen var den som tycktes användas av ledarna, att de försökte skapa en trygg miljö för medarbetarna genom att ge dem stöd och hjälp samt att medarbetarna sades ha stora chanser att påverka sin arbetssituation

Does Active Labour Market Policy Work? : Lesson from the Swedish Experiences

The Swedish experiences of the 1990s provide a unique example of how large-scale active labour market programmes (ALMP's) have been used as a means to fight high unemployment. This paper discussses the mechanisms through which ALMPs affect (un)employment and surveys the empirical studies of the effects of ALMPs in Sweden. The main conclusions are: (i) there is hardly any evidence for a positive effect on matching efficiency; (ii) there are some indications of positive effects on labour force participation; (iii) subsidised employment seems to cause displacement of regular employment, whereas this appears not to be the case for labout market training; (iv) it is unclear whether or not ALMPs raise aggregate wage pressure in the economy; (v) in the 1990s, training programmes seem not to have enhanced the employment probabilities off participants, whereas some forms of subsidised employment seem to have had such effects; and (vi) youth programmes seem to have caused substantial displacement effects a the same time as the gains for participants appear uncertain. On the whole, ALMP's have probably reduced open unemployment, but also reduced regular employment. The overall policy conclusion is that ALMPs of the scale used in Sweden in the 1990s are not an efficient means of employment policy. To be effective, ALMPs should be used on a smaller scale. There should be a greater emphasis on holding down long-term unemployment in general and a smaller emphasis on youth programmes. ALMPs should not be used as a means to renew unemployment benefit eligibility