This thesis examines a number of issues regarding the Mortensen-Pissarides search and matching model’s empirical performance. Chapter 1 documents the volatility puzzle with the Canadian data. The combined data from both Canada and the United States present an additional difficulty. Even if the unobserved value of leisure is allowed to be as high as required to fit the business cycle in the United States or in Canada, the model cannot reconcile the similar labor cycles with the large policy differences in the UI benefits and income taxes in the two countries when the value of leisure is assumed to be the same in both countries. Chapter 2 takes into account the realistic institutional features of the UI system and investigates the impacts of the UI benefits on the labor market outcomes. If entitlement to UI benefits must be earned with employment, generous UI is an additional benefit to an employment relationship, so it promotes job creation. If individuals are risk neutral, UI is fairly priced, and the UI system prevents moral-hazard unemployed workers, the generosity of UI has no effect on unemployment. Chapter 3 shows that the Mortensen-Pissarides search and matching model can be successfully parameterized to generate observed large cyclical fluctuations in unemployment and modest responses of unemployment to changes in the UI benefits. The key features behind this success are the endogenous eligibility for UI benefits and the heterogeneity of workers. With the linear utilities commonly assumed in the Mortensen-Pissarides model, a fully rated UI system designed to prevent moral hazard has no effect on unemployment. However, the UI system in the United States is neither fully rated nor able to prevent workers with low productivity from quitting their jobs or rejecting employment offers to collect benefits. As a result, an increase in UI generosity has a positive, but realistically small, effect on unemployment. This chapter answers the Costain and Reiter (2008) criticism with the Mortensen-Pissarides model.

This thesis examines a number of issues regarding the Mortensen-Pissarides search and matching model’s empirical performance. Chapter 1 documents the volatility puzzle with the Canadian data. The combined data from both Canada and the United States present an additional difficulty. Even if the unobserved value of leisure is allowed to be as high as required to fit the business cycle in the United States or in Canada, the model cannot reconcile the similar labor cycles with the large policy differences in the UI benefits and income taxes in the two countries when the value of leisure is assumed to be the same in both countries. Chapter 2 takes into account the realistic institutional features of the UI system and investigates the impacts of the UI benefits on the labor market outcomes. If entitlement to UI benefits must be earned with employment, generous UI is an additional benefit to an employment relationship, so it promotes job creation. If individuals are risk neutral, UI is fairly priced, and the UI system prevents moral-hazard unemployed workers, the generosity of UI has no effect on unemployment. Chapter 3 shows that the Mortensen-Pissarides search and matching model can be successfully parameterized to generate observed large cyclical fluctuations in unemployment and modest responses of unemployment to changes in the UI benefits. The key features behind this success are the endogenous eligibility for UI benefits and the heterogeneity of workers. With the linear utilities commonly assumed in the Mortensen-Pissarides model, a fully rated UI system designed to prevent moral hazard has no effect on unemployment. However, the UI system in the United States is neither fully rated nor able to prevent workers with low productivity from quitting their jobs or rejecting employment offers to collect benefits. As a result, an increase in UI generosity has a positive, but realistically small, effect on unemployment. This chapter answers the Costain and Reiter (2008) criticism with the Mortensen-Pissarides model.

ABSTRACT UNEMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE OF YOUTH IN ANKARA AND SANLIURFA &Ccedil / elik, Kezban Ph.D., Department of Sociology Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Sibel Kalaycioglu September 2006, 367 pages This thesis aims to analyse how joblessness is experienced by unemployed youth, which factors are involved in this experience, what are their coping strategies and results. Final objective is to understand the relationship between wage work, adulthood and citizenship for young people who are in the process of learning how to be adult. The study is based on the interviews conducted in Ankara and Sanliurfa with 329 young people, who had registered to iSKUR in the last quarter of 2003 and who were approached after six months of registration, 30 families of the unemployed youth and 21 decision-makers of both provinces. The results of the study represent only the survey group. The study found that &amp / #8216 / family&amp / #8217 / is the most important institution in the experience of unemployed youth due to the scarce welfare state implementation and limited number and low quality of jobs created in the labour market. Therefore, family resources are crucial in the management of unemployment experience. It is not a reason itself for unemployment, but poor resources increase the need for wage work of youth labour. Youth who are heavily dependent on family support cope with unemployment in two ways: early adulthood or postponed adulthood. They try to overcome their unclear stage between childhood and adulthood through finding a job accompanied by other criteria of being adult. The former leads to the reproduction of earlier family patterns and intergenerational transfer of poverty, while the latter means to postpone the exercise of adult rights. With heavy dependence on family, unemployed youth learn to be &amp / #8216 / good family members&amp / #8217 / . This has an eroding effect on their trust and respect towards the state and its institutions as expressed by one interviewee, my State is my father. As a result, their chance to become active, participatory, responsible, entrepreneur individuals as required by new system decrease dramatically. Keywords: Wage work, youth unemployment, experience of unemployment.

This thesis analyzes the Turkish unemployment problem in the 2000-2011 period, in a broad and comparative perspective with unemployment problem in the Netherlands, Ireland and Argentina. However, periods of concern for these three countries and Turkey differ, because each country experienced severe unemployment problem in different time periods. The main objective of this thesis is to evaluate current policies dealing with unemployment problem in Turkey and suggest more effective policy alternatives, with reference to successful policies of other countries. It is found that current approach towards unemployment problem in Turkey is inadequate in many aspects / specifically there is no emphasis on job creating policies. Moreover, our discussions on the measurement of labour market indicators in Turkey and general characteristics of Turkish labour market showed that underemployment and marginally attached workers are neglected problems that have to be addressed in policymaking.

Thesis (doctoral)--Uppsala universitet, 2002. / Added t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis presents three chapters on the subject of unemployment persistence. Two of the chapters are empirically focussed and the other is a purely theoretic work. Unemployment persistence is defined as the existence of serial correlation in individual employment outcomes. The first chapter finds evidence for unemployment persistence among men and women in the Australian youth labour market. Individual labour market dynamics are analysed using the Australian Longitudinal Survey. The analytic framework used is a Random Effects Probit model, incorporating lagged employment status as an explanatory variable status. Results support a “scarring” effect of unemployment upon individuals’ future employment prospects. The second chapter provides decision-theoretic foundations for unemployment persistence, based upon heterogeneous intrinsic productivity among workers. A representative firm is assumed to receive an imperfectly precise signal of worker ability every period, and re-forms its beliefs every period using a Bayesian updating method. A model of the dynamic behaviour of optimal employment decisions by the firm is constructed. It is shown that under certain circumstances workers of all productivities may be “scarred” in the eyes of the firm by past unemployment, due to the firm’s being unwilling to hire from an unemployment pool of dubious quality. The third chapter presents a detailed investigation into how to measure unemployment persistence within the UK. The chapter presents several modelling strategies capable of being used to analyse panel data of a binary nature, and discusses how to decide which methods are most appropriate in particular environments. Panel data on men from the British Household Panel Survey are used to estimate a structural state dependence equation in employment status, where lagged employment status is used as an explanatory variable. Particular attention is given to controlling for unobserved heterogeneity between individuals. The empirical results indicate strong evidence of unemployment persistence.

Economists have stated that unemployment has a lasting negative effect, particularly on young people. The present research examined the experiences of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) in Scotland and the impact being NEET has on their identities. Specifically focussing on how these young people gain recognition and construct a positive sense of self. Three research questions are addressed: (1) how do young people give and receive recognition in their peer group? (2) How do young people engage with the alternative context of an online social networking site in order to give and receive recognition? (3) Are there any disagreements and/or misunderstandings between young people and employers? These questions are examined using three data sets: 16 peer group discussions with a total of 79 young people, 37 Bebo (a social networking site) profiles and questionnaires completed by 33 young people and 29 employers. Analysis of peer group discussions revealed the ways in which young people give and receive recognition and the recognition they feel they are given and denied from others. This highlights the complex transition into work for these young people and their struggle for recognition. For example, trying to balance avoiding ridicule from peers associated with certain jobs with their desire to find a job which will allow them to buy certain things and participate in adult life. Analysis of Bebo profiles revealed that young people make use of the existing structures of recognition within Bebo but also manipulate the site in order to gain further recognition in ways that could not have been predicted. Bebo offers young people the chance to gain recognition for popularity, sexual attractiveness and physical strength in ways which may not be deemed acceptable in everyday offline life. A comparison of the perspectives of young people and employers revealed a number of misunderstandings which hinder their relationship, for example the importance of qualifications. Analysis across these three data sets, and the social contexts they represent, reveals the tensions young people experience as they move between different structures of recognition. The main theoretical contribution of this research is a model of recognition in which the self is caught between different structures of recognition. This model provides an insight into what motivates young people to behave differently in different contexts, based on the perceived and actual recognition available. For example, online social networking provides a space for young people to receive recognition for how much alcohol they can drink, however this is not something they would draw attention to in a work environment. There are two applied contributions: (1) at a practical level, young people would benefit from more work experience placements and positive engagements with employers. (2) Most importantly, alternative structures of recognition are needed which recognise the knowledge and skills that young people do have. Instead of focusing on their weaknesses, we must help them build on their strengths. This would allow all young people to feel valued and more able to create a positive sense of self.

Ilgalaikis nedarbas laikoma labai svarbia darbo rinkos problema tiek Lietuvoje, tiek visose Europos Sąjungos šalyse. Ilgalaikiu bedarbių skaičiaus mažinimas – vienas iš pagrindiniu Lietuvos darbo biržos 2005 metu veiklos tikslu. Šiandieninės nesprendžiamos ilgalaikio nedarbo problemos – tai rytdienos socialinės problemos, kurių sprendimui reikės vis didesnių visuomeninių lėšų. 2004 metais bendras bedarbių skaičius sumažėjo 37,8 tūkst., tačiau ilgalaikių bedarbių dalis, palyginti su bendru bedarbiu skaičiumi, išliko didelė (26,9 proc.). 2005 metu pradžioje Lietuvoje kas trečias bedarbis nedirbo daugiau kaip 12 mėnesių. Šiuo darbu siekiama išsiaiškinti ilgalaikių bedarbių integracija į darbo rinką sąlygojančius veiksnius, įvertinti užimtumo priemonių veiksmingumą, darbo biržos teikiamu paslaugų efektyvumą, bedarbių darbinės motyvacijos lygį, bei nustatyti šios bedarbių grupės užimtumą didinančias kryptis bei priemones. Darbą sudaro keturi skyriai. Įvade pateikti darbo tikslai, uždaviniai, hipotezės. Pirmame skyriuje aptarta ilgalaikių bedarbių situacija darbo rinkoje, išanalizuotos ilgalaikio nedarbo priežastys, socialinės ir ekonominės ilgą laiką nerandančių darbo žmonių nedarbo problemos. Antrame skyriuje dėmesys skirtas naujausių ilgalaikių bedarbių užimtumo politikos krypčių Lietuvoje ir Europos Sąjungoje aptarimui. Trečiame skyriuje aprašytas sociologinio tyrimo modelis, tiriamųjų atrankos, anketos sudarymo logika ir duomenų apdorojimas. Ketvirtame skyriuje pateikti tyrimo... [to full text] / Long-term unemployment is considered a very significant labour market problem in Lithuania as well as in all European Union countries. Reducing a number of the long-term unemployed is one of the main tasks of Lithuania Labour Exchange for the year 2005. The purpose of this thesis is to find out the factors determining successful integration of the long-term unemployed into the labour market. Also, this thesis aims to evaluate employment means, service effectiveness of Labour Exchange, motivation level of the unemployed and to set directions and means for employment increasing.

Sammanfattning Syftet var att undersöka ungdomars upplevelse av arbetslöshet och hälsa. Det gjordes genom en enkätundersökning som innehöll kvantitativa frågor och kvalitativa frågor. Den besvarades av 41 arbetslösa ungdomar i åldern 17-24 år. Resultatet visar att ett större antal unga anser sig ha bra hälsa och att det var vanligast med ett psykisk välbefinnande. Häften av ungdomarna kände sig stressade i viss mån. En större andel kvinnor än män hade självmordstankar. Det var endast kvinnor som hade gjort självmordsförsök. Arbetslösa ungdomar upplevde arbetslösheten som negativ, trots det såg de positivt eller någorlunda dvs. varken positivt eller negativt på framtiden. Många upplevde goda möjligheter att studera vidare men chanserna att få ett arbete upplevdes av flertalet vara bra eller någorlunda. Majoriteten av de unga försöker vara aktiva under tiden de är arbetslösa. De upplever arbetslösheten som en meningslös tid, då deras hälsa knappast förbättras, snarare försämras. De får anstränga sig för att må bra och inte bli nedstämda. Slutsatsen är att forskning om ungdomsarbetslöshet och hälsa är särskilt viktig eftersom tidigare forskning visat att ungdomars hälsa påverkas mer än vuxnas hälsa av arbetslöshet. / The objective was to explore young people's experience of unemployment and health. It was made by using a mixed approach. Data was collected by a survey which included quantitative and qualitative questions. It was answered by 41 unemployed young people aged 17-24 years. The results from the survey showed that a greater number of young people have good health, and that it was common with a mental well-being. Half of the participants felt stressed. A larger proportion of women had suicidal thoughts compared to men. It was only women who had attempted suicide. Unemployed young people experienced unemployment as negative, although they had a positive view on the future. Many responds perceived good opportunities to further education, but the likelihoods of getting a work was perceived by the majority as good or neither good or bad. The majority of young people are trying to be active during their unemployment. They experience unemployment as a meaningless time when theirs health status doesn’t improves, rather get worse. Several have to make an effort to feel good and not to be depressed. The conclusion is that research on youth unemployment is particularly important because previous research shows that young people and their health, affects more than unemployed adults.

Unemployment is a massive and rapidly growing problem in the world as a whole and in South Africa in particular. Its consequences have assumed proportions comparable to those of disasters caused by tornados and hurricanes. Social commentators believe it should be treated the same way as HIV/AIDS in the South African context. Yet policy makers and decision makers have not given enough attention to the problem of unemployment in relation to its devastation effects. Economics and its theories seem unable to provide coherent understanding as to the mechanism leading to unemployment on such a massive scale. The response of the Church to this problem have been indifference; either due to ignorance or to a spiritualised faith and emphasis has been on personal virtues and vices such as industriousness and initiative over and against laziness and lethargy. This thesis aims to give an indication of the extent and urgency of the problem of unemployment, investigate the impact of the phenomenon on the youth in Pietermaritzburg, and the role befitting the Church in helping people deal with the problem. This study attempts to present to the public the contribution of theology, especially Industrial Mission, to the understanding of unemployment. Most research in the field of unemployment has been done by economists and the availability to an audience outside the community of economists is extremely limited. Economists generate their ideas and research results in technical journals where emphasis is on the methodology used and established scientific terminology. This vast technical literature fails to reach the wider public debate about work. This study tries to avoid both jargon and oversimplification in the belief that the research effort must become widely known amongst the employed and unemployed alike. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.