Explaining the Employability Gap of Short-term and Long-term Unemployed Persons

This paper analyzes the determinants of employability differences between short-term and long-term unemployed persons. Knowing these differences could help to address active labor market policy programs more adequately to the needs of the job-seekers in order to increase employment integration. Based on merged survey and register data differences in job finding chances of these groups are decomposed into a part due to differences in attributes and a part due to differences in valuing the attributes. The estimates clarify that current active labor market programs do not address important factors of employment. Particularly, health of the job seekers, limitations in the working ability and obstacles to employment comprising substance abuse, financial debts or care obligations for children or frail elderly play a significant role for successful placement. The conclusion is that policy makers should integrate these aspects in the placement process. --unemployment,employability,active labor market policy,decomposition,Germany

Explaining the Employability Gap of Short-term and Long-term Unemployed Persons

This paper analyzes the determinants of employability di erences between short-term and long-term unemployed persons. Knowing these di erences could help to address active labor market policy programs more adequately to the needs of the job-seekers in order to increase integration rates into employment. Based on merged survey and register data di erences in job nding chances of these groups are decomposed into a part due to di erences in attributes and a part due to di erences in valuing the attributes. The estimates clarify that current active labor market programs do not address important factors of employment. Particularly, health of the job seekers, limitations in the working ability and obstacles to employment comprising drug abuse, nancial debts or care obligations for children or frail elderly play a signi cant role for successful placement. The conclusion is that policy makers should integrate these issues in the placement process.unemployment, employability, self-reported job chances, active labor market policy, decompo- sition, Germany

Continuum physics with quenched overlap fermions

We calculate $m_{ud}=(m_u+m_d)/2$, $m_s$, $f_\pi$ and $f_K$ in the quenched continuum limit with UV-filtered overlap fermions. We see rather small scaling violations on lattices as coarse as $a^{-1} \simeq 1 \mathrm{GeV}$ and conjecture that similar advantages would be manifest in unquenched studies.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, v2: title changed and other improvements to match published versio

Identifying effect heterogeneity to improve the effiency of job creation schemes in Germany?

Previous empirical studies of job creation schemes in Germany have shown that the average effects for the participating individuals are negative. However, we find that this is not true for all strata of the population. Identifying individual characteristics that are responsible for the effect heterogeneity and using this information for a better allocation of individuals therefore bears some scope for improving programme efficiency. We present several stratification strategies and discuss the occurring effect heterogeneity. Our findings show that job creation schemes do neither harm nor improve the labour market chances for most of the groups. Exceptions are long-term unemployed men in West and long-term unemployed women in East and West Germany who benefit from participation in terms of higher employment rates. JEL: C13 , J68 , H4

Influence of friction on granular segregation

Vertical shaking of a mixture of small and large beads can lead to segregation where the large beads either accumulate at the top of the sample, the so called Brazil Nut effect (BNE), or at the bottom, the Reverse Brazil Nut effect (RBNE). Here we demonstrate experimentally a sharp transition from the RBNE to the BNE when the particle coefficient of friction increases due to aging of the particles. This result can be explained by the two competing mechanisms of buoyancy and sidewall-driven convection, where the latter is assumed to grow in strength with increasing friction.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure

The effects of vocational training programmes on the duration of unemployment in Eastern Germany

Vocational training programmes have been the most important active labour market policy instrument in Germany in the last years. However, the still unsatisfying situation of the labour market has raised doubt on the efficiency of these programmes. In this paper, we analyse the effects of the participation in vocational training programmes on the duration of unemployment in Eastern Germany. Based on administrative data for the time between the October 1999 and December 2002 of the Federal Employment Administration, we apply a bivariate mixed proportional hazards model. By doing so, we are able to use the information of the timing of treatment as well as observable and unobservable influences to identify the treatment effects. The results show that a participation in vocational training prolongates the unemployment duration in Eastern Germany. Furthermore, the results suggest that locking-in effects are a serious problem of vocational training programmes. JEL Classification: J64, J24, I28, J6

Sectoral heterogeneity in the employment effects of job creation schemes in Germany

Job creation schemes (JCS) have been one important programme of active labour market policy in Germany aiming at the re-integration of hard-to-place unemployed individuals into regular employment. In ontrast to earlier evaluation studies of these programmes based on survey data, we use administrative data containing more than 11,000 participants for our analysis and hence, can take effect heterogeneity explicitly into account. We focus on effect heterogeneity caused by differences in the implementation of programmes (economic sector, types of support and implementing institutions). The results are rather discouraging and show that in general, JCS are unable to improve the re-integration chances of participants into regular employment

Temporary extra jobs for immigrants: Merging lane to employment or dead-end road in welfare?

We evaluate the effects of the most frequently used German welfare-to-work program on the employment chances of immigrant welfare recipients. In particular, we investigate whether program effects differ between immigrants and natives and what might cause these potential differences. Our results reveal that the program fails to achieve its objectives. The effects are more adverse for natives, but the program does not help otherwise identical immigrants to leave the welfare system either. Therefore, the program is a dead-end road rather than a merging lane to regular employment both for natives and for immigrants. --Immigrants,employment programs,evaluation,decomposition of effects,Germany

Crowding out Informal Care? Evidence from a Social Experiment in Germany

This paper evaluates the effects of a professionally assisted consumer-directed program (Personal Budgets) compared to the standard home care programs of the German long-term care insurance. The evaluation makes use of a long-run social experiment at seven different sites with a random assignment into a treatment group receiving personal budgets and a control group in standard home care programs, i.e. an in-kind benefit (agency care) and cash payments. Compared to agency care personal budgets yield better care outcomes with regard to the overall support of formal and informal caregivers. In contrast, personal budgets do not improve care outcomes compared to the much less generous cash payments due to a strong crowding out of informal by formal care. --consumer-directed long-term care,social experiment,personal budget,evaluation,Germany