Modelling of Social Policy and Initiatives under COVID-19: Rural NEET Youth Case Study

Giedrė Kvieskienė, Ilze Ivanova, Karmen Trasberg, Viktorija Stasytytė and Eglė Celiešienė
Additional contact information
Giedrė Kvieskienė: Education Academy, Vytautas Magnus University, T. Ševčenkos Str. 31, 03111 Vilnius, Lithuania
Ilze Ivanova: Department of Education Sciences, University of Latvia, Raiņa bulvāris 19, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia
Karmen Trasberg: Institute of Education, University of Tartu, Salme 1a, 50103 Tartu, Estonia
Viktorija Stasytytė: Institute of Dynamic Management, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Saulėtekio Ave. 11, 10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
Eglė Celiešienė: Lithuanian College of Democracy, Studentų Str. 39, 08106 Vilnius, Lithuania

Social Sciences, 2021, vol. 10, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) youth rates in Europe are generally higher in rural regions than in urban areas and the share in rural regions is constantly increasing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people became even more vulnerable as they experienced social exclusion and mental health problems. The objective of this paper is to analyse NEET youth-related statistics in Europe and distinguish positive initiatives for young people in rural areas of the Baltic countries to encourage positive emotions and willingness to learn. Statistical analysis and case study methods were employed. Data on youth unemployment, NEET youth by age and gender, and poverty and social exclusion of young people, is analysed. Social policy initiatives in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, mainly from rural municipalities, are presented and discussed. This research determines the key issues related to NEET youth and proposes initiatives to overcome existing problems among young people. Such social initiatives aim to promote positive social emotions of youth, promote their inclusion in society, and foster regional sustainability.

Keywords: NEET youth; unemployment; COVID-19 pandemic; emotions; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/10/393/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/10/393/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:10:y:2021:i:10:p:393-:d:657245

Access Statistics for this article

Social Sciences is currently edited by Ms. Yvonne Chu

More articles in Social Sciences from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().