We evaluate a pilot workfare project of a Berlin city community to integrate young people in social assistance into the labor market. Reference data are generated in collaboration with the German Employment Office. The participation effect is found to be positive and of relevant size, but not...

This paper assesses the dynamics of treatment effects arising from variation in the duration of training. We use German administrative data that have the extraordinary feature that the amount of treatment varies continuously from 10 days to 395 days (i.e. 13 months). This feature allows us to...

"The transition process from unemployment to employment is determined by the reservation wage and the search effort of the unemployed worker. The optimal search strategy depends on labour market institutions like the generosity of unemployment benefits and 'classical' characteristics like age...

In this paper we analyze the relationship between social networks and the job search behavior of unemployed individuals. It is believed that networks convey useful information in the job search process such that individuals with larger networks should experience a higher productivity of informal...

The transition process from unemployment to employment is determined by the reservation wage and the search effort of the unemployed worker. The optimal search strategy depends on labour market institutions like the generosity of unemployment benefits and "classical" characteristics like age and...

This study analyses the treatment effects of public training programmes for the unemployed in Germany. Based on propensity score matching methods, we extend the picture that has been sketched in previous studies by estimating the treatment effects of medium-term programmes for different skill...

This paper studies the role of vouchers and caseworkers in training programs for the unemployed. We explore the unique features of the Hartz reform in Germany which simultaneously introduced training vouchers and imposed more selective criteria on participants. This allows us to go beyond the...

"The transition process from unemployment to employment is determined by the reservation wage and the search effort of the unemployed worker. The optimal search strategy depends on labour market institutions like the generosity of unemployment benefits and 'classical' characteristics like age...

"The so-called Hartz reform introduced fundamental changes for publicly sponsored training in Germany. This concerns primarily the issuing of training vouchers as an exclusive allocation device, allowing potential participants free choice between training providers within a given training target...

Social welfare systems usually imply specific obligations for benefit recipients. If a recipient does not comply with these obligations, a sanction involving a punitive benefits reduction may be imposed. In this paper we give an overview of the literature on the effects of sanctions in social...