Priority to unemployed immigrants? A causal machine learning evaluation of training in Belgium

Bart Cockx, Michael Lechner and Joost Bollens

No 6, ROA Research Memorandum from Maastricht University, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA)

Abstract: Based on administrative data of unemployed in Belgium, we estimate the labour market effects of three training programmes at various aggregation levels using Modified Causal Forests, a causal machine learning estimator. While all programmes have positive effects after the lock-in period, we find substantial heterogeneity across programmes and unemployed. Simulations show that “black-box” rules that reassign unemployed to programmes that maximise estimated individual gains can considerably improve effectiveness: up to 20% more (less) time spent in (un)employment within a 30 months window. A shallow policy tree delivers a simple rule that realizes about 70% of this gain.

JEL-codes: J68 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-05-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-big and nep-eur
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Priority to unemployed immigrants? A causal machine learning evaluation of training in Belgium (2023)
Working Paper: Priority to unemployed immigrants? A causal machine learning evaluation of training in Belgium (2022)
Working Paper: Priority of Unemployed Immigrants? A Causal Machine Learning Evaluation of Training in Belgium (2020)
Working Paper: Priority to unemployed immigrants? A causal machine learning evaluation of training in Belgium (2020)
Working Paper: Priority to unemployed immigrants? A causal machine learning evaluation of training in Belgium (2020)
Working Paper: Priority to unemployed immigrants? A causal machine learning evaluation of training in Belgium (2020)
Working Paper: Priority to unemployed immigrants? A causal machine learning evaluation of training in Belgium (2020)
Working Paper: Priority to unemployed immigrants? A causal machine learning evaluation of training in Belgium (2020)
Working Paper: Priority to Unemployed Immigrants? A Causal Machine Learning Evaluation of Training in Belgium (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unm:umaror:2020006

DOI: 10.26481/umaror.2020006

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