A frequent question in academic and non-academic research is how particular systems are formed, maintained, and potentially, changed. This dissertation explores the question above through the intersection between political economy and public policy, specifically on accumulation: how economic and social relations come to be, endure, adapt, or fail. This is reflected in a slew of theories, paradigms, and research programmes, yet most utilize a macro or meso lens and rarely look at ‘micro’ level phenomena and processes – those involving everyday interactions and people. At this level, a significant, yet absent, component is the way individuals may come to automatically think and act through receiving information conveyed in ways that promote internalization or automaticity. The ongoing question, then, is what regimes communicate and how they do so. I will examine the role of active labour market policy (ALMP) in sustaining contemporary accumulation trajectories in Canada by analyzing what it communicates to policy recipients in terms of how they should conceive of themselves as workers, their expectations of the market, and of the state. However, what public policy communicates does not, in and of itself, explain how people come to internalize particular ways of thinking and acting. As such, I combine policy analysis with cognitive psychology to examine what ‘everyday’ public policy components – such as websites, forms, and job search systems - communicate, and crucially, whether they do so in a way which is conducive to ‘automatic thought’ (e.g. ‘common sense’). / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation explores how public policy can shape how individuals automatically think and act, thereby informing their ‘common sense’ and rational thoughts. I will examines what Canadian active labour market policy (ALMP) communicates to policy recipients in terms of how they should conceive of themselves as workers, their expectations of the market, and of the state. I combine policy analysis with mechanisms derived from cognitive psychology to examine what ‘everyday’ public policy components – such as websites, forms, and job search systems - communicate, and crucially, whether they do so in a way which is conducive to ‘automatic thought’ (e.g. ‘common sense’). This approach fills in gaps political psychology, public policy, and the political economy of regimes.

Diplomová práce porovnává postoj ke snižování nezaměstnanosti prostřednictvím aktivní politiky zaměstnanosti v ČR a VB. VB má jednu z nejnižších měr nezaměstnanosti, a proto je zajímavé, porovnávat ji se zemí, která má míru nezaměstnanosti velmi vysokou. První kapitoly se týkají teorie aktivní politiky zaměstnanosti obecně, řešení APZ v každém státě zvlášť, i jaký postoj má k nezaměstnanosti EU. V ostatních kapitolách jsou na základě SWOT analýzy porovnávány silné a slabé stránky a příležitosti a hrozby obou států ? míra nezaměstnanosti, rizikové skupiny, vzdělání, instituce trhu práce aj. Na závěr je nutná komparace obou států a především nastínění určitých doporučení pro ČR.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Stockholms universitet, 2006. / Härtill 3 uppsatser.

Magister Commercii - MCom / Since the advent of democracy, one of the most serious economic problems facing the South African economy is the persistently high unemployment. Although employment has been increasing in general since the economic transition, the extent of such increase is not rapid enough to absorb the expanding labour force entrants, thereby causing both the level and rate of unemployment to increase. This is indicated by the fact that, despite the increase of employment number from 9.5 million in 1995 to 15.2 million in 2014, the number of unemployed increased from 2.0 million to 5.2 million during the same period, thereby causing the unemployment rate to rise from 17.6% to 25.4%. In fact, the labour market objective of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGISA) to reduce the unemployment rate to 15% by the end of 2014 is not achieved. The government has been trying to solve the unemployment problem by means of various policies, ranging from the “big” policies like the Reconstruction and Development Program (RDP), Growth, Employment and Redistribution Policy (GEAR), the aforementioned ASGISA, and the recently launched National Development Plan (NDP), to the more specific labour market policies such as the Expanded Public Works Program (EPWP), promotion of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) to the implementation of the Employment Tax Incentives Bill (also known as the Youth Wage Subsidy) since 1 January 2014. This study first provides a theoretical framework on various models of unemployment, before the main causes of unemployment in South Africa are discussed. A critical evaluation of the pros and cons of various policy options to alleviate unemployment would be looked at. Some of the policy options have already been implemented in South Africa for years and hence the possible success of these policies would be investigated in detail. Few policies have only been recently implemented (e.g. the Employment Tax Incentives Bill), while other possible policy options have not yet been implemented in South Africa (e.g. job-seeking transport subsidy) but have been adopted in other countries. Hence, the feasibility of these options for South Africa would be investigated, by examining the outcome of these policies in the other countries.

This thesis is concerned with increasing of employment through active labour market policy. It focuses on two countries - Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. Thesis describes theory of unemployment, it deals with historical base of labour market policy, as well as with particular actions of labour market policies of both considered countries. After that, main tools are analyzed, there are described advantages and disadvantages of particular actions, as well as whole active labour market policy approach. Recommendations for both countries are followed. Finally, thesis deals with European social fund.

The experience of unemployment puts individuals at risk of long-term negative scarring and the longer the unemployment spell, the greater the risk of negative scarring. In Sweden, labour market policies aim at reducing such risks in the form of unemployment benefits, active matching and active labour market policy programmes (ALMPs). However, there is frequent discussion regarding the extent to which these kinds of policies actually reduce the risk of negative scarring. It is often argued that the programmes are of poor quality, particularly during economic downturns, and participants are often not motivated for the task. Likewise, it is claimed that unemployment insurance tends to counteract a quick return to the regular labour market. One problem related to labour market policies is that it has been difficult to examine the impact of such policies. Studies often present results that appear scattered due to differences in what is actually being measured and methodological problems. The uniqueness of this thesis is that it is based on a large-scale longitudinal register of data that has provided important empirical information regarding the long-term effects of labour market policy investments. The quality of data has also enabled the use of evaluation techniques which largely can help to reduce the uncertainty of the findings. More precisely, the research questions examine (1) in what way the level of unemployment benefit functions as protection against unemployment scarring, (2) in what way the ALMPs protect long-term unemployed people from long-term unemployment scarring, (3) at what point in a business cycle the ALMPs are efficient and finally, (4) for whom do the ALMPs function to reduce the risk of negative scarring. In this thesis, scarring effects are measured as the risk of labour market exit, the risk of labour market instability and the risk of future negative wage trajectories. The methods used in most studies are Cox regressions in combination with instrumental variable analysis (the Heckman two-step procedure). The empirical findings indicate that ALMPs worked well to reduce such negative effects both in times of booms (1999) and recessions (1993) and particularly among the youngest and oldest actors on the labour market. They also function particularly well for people with a low level of education. However, it is important not to exclude unemployed people who have a high level of education, in the belief that ALMPs have nothing to offer them, since such people are particularly helped by ALMPs as regards reducing the risk of future labour market instability. It was also found that generous unemployment benefit helped to reduce the risk of future negative wage scarring. In addition to these findings, some mechanisms were identified which proved to be important tools for transforming policies into valuable resources for the unemployed. In this thesis, the value of the findings of these mechanisms is discussed from the perspective of the capability approach. Even if the same investments were made in all unemployed persons, the participants would respond differently to the investment. Some reasons for the inequality in outcomes were found within the programmes and were due to heterogeneity in the unemployment group but some reasons can actually be explained by the converters (mechanisms) that were identified in the studies. Thus, the results emphasise the importance of investing in labour market policies, particularly during economic downturns. This is the time when cuts in unemployment benefit do not help the unemployed back to the labour market since there are very few available jobs to apply for. It is also the time when the long-term unemployed should participate in ALMP-training in order to be prepared for new challenges when the labour market improves again. As a matter of fact, the results show that skills from ALMP-training have a bridging effect which indicates that these skills will be valuable on the labour market for at least another five years after the year of investment. The findings in this thesis are controversial since they differ from most research findings from the beginning of the 1990s which point to poor micro level outcomes. However, the long-term approach of this thesis is the main explanation for these new and different results.  It is argued here that a long-term approach is needed to find out the long-term effects because ALMP participation, particularly ALMP-training, is meant to be a long-term investment in human capital. A long period of time needs to pass between ALMP-investment and evaluation before the effects can show. Reported effects from ALMP investments at the beginning of the 1990s have often been measured on a short-term basis. It is not suggested that short-term effects should be ignored but it is argued that a short-term analysis provides only a fragmental description of reality, and long-term effects should be given greater priority than is usually the case since they affect the labour market prospects of the individuals over a long period of time. This thesis dispels the “myth” about the negative effects generated from ALMPs during the 1990s.

The local labour market policy in Sweden offers activities to unemployed people who need more competence to get self-sufficient. To get hired the unemployed people need employers who want to hire them. Employers’ perception of the activities from the local labour market policy is therefor crucial for the unemployed who take part in the activities. This master’s thesis aims to interview employers from low-skilled work and take part of their perception of the local labour market policy and their descriptions of their recruitment. This study is conducted via short telephone interviews with 277 employers in a county of Sweden. With a theoretical framework of institutional logics the result shows that there is a gap between the local labour market policy and the employers. The gap is visible mainly through the employers expression that the participants from the local labour market policy do not meet the employers requirements to be able to get hired. The employers seem to be governed by institutional logics such as market, individualization and to some extent also democratic logics.

Syftet med studien var att utifrån professionellas kunskaper och unga vuxnas upplevelser undersöka hur bestämmelsen i 4 kap 4 § SoL används i praktiken samt om den möjliggör chansen till självförsörjning. Detta gjordes genom kvalitativa intervjuer med försörjningsstödshandläggare, vägledare och unga vuxna med anknytningar till undersökningsområdet. Studien är induktiv med ett hermeneutiskt förhållningssätt och materialet har analyserats med hjälp av Maslows behovshierarki, empowerment teori samt tidigare forskning. Resultatet visade på att en kompetenshöjande insats i slutändan ska leda till självförsörjning, men även utvecklar deltagarnas psykiska välbefinnande. Även om deltagandet i den kompetenshöjande verksamheten är ett krav för att få försörjningsstöd, har de unga vuxna en positiv upplevelse av verksamheten och vägledarna i motsats till tidigare forskning. Anledningen till det positiva resultatet tycks bero på det individuella stödet och utformningen. / The purpose of the study was that based on professionals' knowledge and experiences of young adults explore how the provision in chapter 4 § 4 SoL used in practice and whether it allows the chance to self-sufficiency .This was done through qualitative interviews with welfare benefits administrators, counselor , and young adults with connections to the subject .The study is inductive with a hermeneutic approach and the material has been analyzed using Maslow's hierarchy of needs , empowerment theory and previous research. The result showed that a competence-raising effort will ultimately lead to self-sufficiency, but also develops the participants' psychological well-being. Although participation in skill-enhancing activity is a requirement to receive welfare benefits, the young adults have a positive experience of the activities and counselors in contrast to previous research. The reason for the positive outcome seems to depend on the individual aid and the design.

This PhD analyses the factors that affect the existence or absence of coordination in the field of labour market policy for the long-term unemployed in three cities in Great Britain (Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Newcastle). The interest in coordination in public service provision has become more relevant since the state's previously dominant role in services provision gave way to a decentralised and multi-actor landscape. The complexity of social issues also fostered the involvement of multiple organisations. Furthermore, the recent move toward activation in labour market policy has renewed the interest in localised and personalised services, which require coordination. The implications for individuals of the shift toward activation is the main driver for this thesis. Activation has changed the relationship between the state and its citizens, has redefined social exclusion, has individualised responsibility for unemployment, and has increased individuals' obligations to become employed and employable. Also, a greater number of individuals—often with multiple, complex, and overlapping problems—are now required to take part in paid employment. If activation is to effectively support unemployed individuals, its governance would have to facilitate coordination. Even though networks and partnership-working have been buzz-terms in relation to public service planning and delivery for some years, empirically, there is still a question over whether this discourse has resulted in coordination on the ground. Studies of coordination in the field of labour market policies have often focused on the link between social assistance and labour market policy. This research examines instead the coordination between labour market and other related policy areas, as well as the coordination between administrative levels and various service providers. Drawing upon document analysis and semi-structure interviews, this thesis shows that coordination is still elusive in practice and develops a framework of governance that might help to better achieve coordination in service provision.

As the title of my diploma thesis already suggests, the thesis deals with the analysis of the labour market in the largest of all Czech regions. The situation in the Central-Bohemian labour market may be considered stable and the unemployment rate in this region has ranked among the lowest in the whole country for a long period of time, but due to the size of the region broad district differences may be observed. This thesis seeks to evaluate and summarise the evolution of the Central-Bohemian labour market (mainly in the past decade) and to highlight the main factors causing the differences mentioned above. The thesis also deals with the impact of economic recession on the labour market in the Central Bohemia and on the number of employees of major employers in the region. Last but not least I try to suggest several ways to reduce unemployment and evaluate the measures that have already been taken by the government organizations in my thesis. The first part of the document discusses theoretical aspects of the labour market functioning, measuring of unemployment and explains related terms.