How sensitive are matching estimates of active labor market policy effects to typically unobserved confounders?

Stefan Tübbicke

Journal for Labour Market Research, 2023, vol. 57, Article 26

Abstract: "Using a rich and unique combined administrative-survey dataset, this paper explores how sensitive propensity score (PS) matching estimates of Active Labor Market Policies (ALMPs) based on the selection-on-observables assumption are to typically unobserved covariates. Using a sample of German unemployed welfare recipients, the analysis shows that typically unobserved factors such job search behavior, concessions willing to make for a job as well as (mental) health are in fact relevant confounders. However, results also show that matching on the PS using only typically observed covariates reduces imbalance in terms of typically unobserved covariates by about 46 percent in this setting. In line with this finding, the inclusion of typically unobserved covariates yields very similar estimates to estimates based on a standard specification. Hence, a standard matching approach based on rich and high quality administrative data appears to be sufficient to obtain estimates that are rather robust to unobserved confounding." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

Keywords: Bundesrepublik Deutschland; IAB-Open-Access-Publikation; Auswirkungen; berufliche Reintegration; Beschäftigungseffekte; Determinanten; Einstellungen; Erfolgskontrolle; Gesundheitszustand; Propensity Score Matching; matching; psychische Faktoren; Arbeit; soziale Herkunft; soziale Partizipation; sozialer Status; Arbeitslosengeld II-Empfänger; PASS-ADIAB; Arbeitsmarktpolitik; arbeitsmarktpolitische Maßnahme; Wirkungsforschung; Zufriedenheit; Arbeitsuche; 2011-2014 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 D04 J68 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-08-29
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12651-023-00352-9

Related works:
Journal Article: How sensitive are matching estimates of active labor market policy effects to typically unobserved confounders? (2023)
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:iab:iabjlr:v:57:p:art.26

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.springer.com/economics/journal/12651

DOI: 10.1186/s12651-023-00352-9

Access Statistics for this article

Journal for Labour Market Research is currently edited by Joachim Möller et al.

More articles in Journal for Labour Market Research from Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany] Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by IAB, Geschäftsbereich Wissenschaftliche Fachinformation und Bibliothek ().