We investigate treatment effects of active labour market programmes for Norwegian adults for the 1990 to 2000 period. Three types of active labour market programmes are evaluated within a competing risks hazard rate model. Non-parametric specifications on both duration dependence and unobserved...

Individual long run effects of a labour market training programme targeted at unemployed adults are evaluated by comparing mean post-training earnings for matched samples of participants and non-participants. Average training effects on the trained are positive and persistent over the...

We investigate how transitions from unemployment are affected by economic incentives and spell duration. Based on unique Norwegian register data that exhibit the rarity of random-assignment-like variation in economic incentives, the causal parameters are identified without reliance on...

By comparing mean outcomes for a large number of matched samples of participants and nonparticipants we estimate individual earnings effect of the Norwegian labour market training programme (LMT) targeted at unemployed adults in the years 1991-1996. The average training effect on the trained is...

The decision by firms to offer an occupational pension is investigated with a unique linked employer-employee dataset, supplemented with detailed actuarial calculations of the cost to the firms of offering occupational pensions and constructed tax gains from pension contributions versus cash...

Building on a complete account of registered unemployment spells in Norway, we study how the composition of unemployment has developed over the last ten years. The total volume of unemployment has become more unequally distributed than before, but it is difficult to identify the ‘losers’ in...

This paper provides further evidence on the role of the efficient market hypothesis and the rational asset pricing model in the explanation of Chinese closed-end fund discounts. The closed-end fund discount presents a potential anomaly to the efficient market hypothesis. The results of the...

The authors of this report use data on China to demonstrate how the allocation of fiscal revenue and expenditures between central and local governments has affected economic growth since reforms that began in the late 1970s. They find a higher degree of fiscal decentralization associated with...