|
Activity Number:
|
173
|
|
Type:
|
Contributed
|
|
Date/Time:
|
Monday, August 3, 2009 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
|
|
Sponsor:
|
Business and Economic Statistics Section
|
| Abstract - #304090 |
|
Title:
|
Are Job Centers More Effective When Caseloads Are Reduced? An Evaluation of a Regional Pilot Project
|
|
Author(s):
|
Katja Wolf and Gerhard Krug*+ and Barbara Hofmann
|
|
Companies:
|
Institute for Employment Research and Institute for Employment Research
|
|
Address:
|
Regensburger Straße 104, Nuremberg, 90478, Germany
|
|
Keywords:
|
evaluation ; genetic matching ; Germany ; active labour market policy
|
|
Abstract:
|
In this paper we evaluate the success of a pilot project in German local employment offices, where the caseload (number of unemployed per case worker) was reduced significantly in 14 regional employment offices. Since the treatment regions were not chosen at random, we have to rely on ex-post randomization using quasi-experimental nonparametric matching methods. Since we faced the problem that the number of potential control units is relatively low, the standard propensity score approach is not optimal in balancing the differences resulting from non-random assignment. To overcome this limitation we use genetic matching, which was developed quite recently by Diamond and Sekhon (2005). Empirical evidence clearly indicates positive effects: treatment employment offices performed better than the control group regarding several indicators of success.
|
