VOLUME XVI
SPRING 2008

THE EFFECTS OF TRAINING POLICIES FOR THE UNEMPLOYED
 
F. JAVIER MATO DÍAZ
BEGOÑA CUETO IGLESIAS

Universidad de Oviedo
 
Although public spending on active labour market policies has increased in recent years in Spain, little is known about its effectiveness. The hypothesis in this paper is that the effects of these policies can be either positive or negative, as research carried out in other countries has proved. Our aim is to analyse the effects of training, one of the policies most used for fighting unemployment. The paper explains the results of research carried out in a Spanish region using a control group formed by rejected applicants. The estimated effects on access to employment and on time worked are positive, though small, in the short and medium-term. The results agree with the empirical evidence from other countries.
 
Key words: unemployment; evaluation of active labour market policies, training, propensity score matching.
JEL Classification: J24, J68.

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