Is There a Rationale to Contact the Unemployed Right from the Start? Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment

Bert Van Landeghem, Frank Cörvers and Andries de Grip

No 9627, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Active Labour Market Policies often exclusively target towards the long-term unemployed. Although it might be more efficient to intervene earlier in order to prevent long-term unemployment rather than to cure it, the climate of austerity in Eurozone countries is spreading a tendency to further reduce the basic counselling for those who become unemployed. This study investigates the impact on employment chances of a relatively light and inexpensive programme that is offered right after the start of the unemployment spell. It comprises of a collective information session followed by a short one-on-one interview. In a field experiment carried out with an employment office in Flanders, a random selection of clients (the treatment group) were invited to the programme within one month after being enrolled as unemployed, while the control group were scheduled to have the information session five months after becoming unemployed. We find a substantial intention- to-treat effect in the first four months after the start of the unemployment spell, and the early intervention seems especially beneficial for those with low education.

Keywords: unemployment; Active Labour Market Policies; nudging; natural field (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D04 D61 J64 J68 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2016-01
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published - published in: Labour Economics, 2017, 45, 158-168

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Related works:
Journal Article: Is there a rationale to contact the unemployed right from the start? Evidence from a natural field experiment (2017)
Working Paper: Is There a Rationale to Contact the Unemployed Right from the Start? Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment (2016)
Working Paper: Is there a rationale to contact the unemployed right from the start? Evidence from a natural field experiment (2016)
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