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Flexicurity – labour market performance in Denmark

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Author Info
Torben M. Andersen
Michael Svarer () (School of Economics and Management, University of Aarhus, Denmark)

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Abstract

Unemployment is at a low and stable level in Denmark. This achievement is often attributed to the so-called flexicurity model combining flexible hiring and firing rules for employers with income security for employees. Whatever virtues this model may have, a low and stable unemployment rate is not automatically among them since the basic flexicurity properties were also in place during the 1970s and 1980s where high and persistent unemployment was prevalent. Labour market performance has changed due to a series of reforms during the 1990s, the main thrust of which were a shift from a passive focus of labour market policies to a more active focus on job search and employment. The policy tightened eligibility for unemployment benefits and their duration as well as introduced workfare elements into unemployment insurance and social policies in general. Thereby policy makers attempted to strengthen the incentive structure without taking resort to general benefit reductions. We argue that the workfare policies have played an important role running primarily via motivation/threat and wage effects. However, active labour market policies are resource demanding, and although the workfare reforms have improved cost effectiveness, there is still an issue as to whether the resources going into active labour market policies are used efficiently.

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Paper provided by School of Economics and Management, University of Aarhus in its series Economics Working Papers with number 2007-09.

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Length: 33
Date of creation: 21 Aug 2007
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Handle: RePEc:aah:aarhec:2007-09

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Web page: http://www.econ.au.dk/afn/

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Related research
Keywords: Flexicurity; workfare;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
J0 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Michael Rosholm & Michael Svarer, 2004. "Estimating the Threat Effect of Active Labour Market Programmes," Economics Working Papers 2004-6, School of Economics and Management, University of Aarhus. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Michael Lechner & Jeffrey Smith, 2003. "What is the Value Added by Caseworkers?," University of St. Gallen Department of Economics working paper series 2003 2003-05, Department of Economics, University of St. Gallen. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Donald O. Parsons & Torben Tranaes & Helene Bie Lilleor, 2003. "Voluntary Public Unemployment Insurance," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Michael Svarer, 2007. "The Effect of Sanctions on the Job Finding Rate: Evidence from Denmark," Economics Working Papers 2007-10, School of Economics and Management, University of Aarhus. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Rafael Lalive & Jan C. van Ours & Josef Zweimüller, 2005. "The Effect Of Benefit Sanctions On The Duration Of Unemployment," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 3(6), pages 1386-1417, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Victoria Prowse, 2005. "State Dependence in a Multi-State Model of Employment Dynamics," IZA Discussion Papers 1623, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  7. Rafael Lalive & Jan Van Ours & Josef Zweimüller, 2006. "How Changes in Financial Incentives Affect the Duration of Unemployment," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 73(4), pages 1009-1038, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Dan A. Black & Jeffrey A. Smith & Mark C. Berger & Brett J. Noel, 2003. "Is the Threat of Reemployment Services More Effective Than the Services Themselves? Evidence from Random Assignment in the UI System," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(4), pages 1313-1327, September. [Downloadable!]
  9. Torben Andersen & Michael Svarer, 2008. "The Role of Workfare in Striking a Balance between Incentives and Insurance in the Labour Market," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Jespersen, Svend T. & Munch, Jakob R. & Skipper, Lars, 2008. "Costs and benefits of Danish active labour market programmes," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 859-884, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Jaap H. Abbring & Gerard J. Berg & Jan C. Ours, 2005. "The Effect of Unemployment Insurance Sanctions on the Transition Rate from Unemployment to Employment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 115(505), pages 602-630, 07. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Lars Pico Geerdsen, 2006. "Is there a Threat Effect of Labour Market Programmes? A Study of ALMP in the Danish UI System," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(513), pages 738-750, 07. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Aki Kangasharju, 2007. "Do Wage Subsidies Increase Employment in Subsidized Firms?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 74(293), pages 51-67, 02. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. Fredriksson, Peter & Holmlund, Bertil, 2005. "Optimal unemployment insurance design: time limits, monitoring, or workfare?," Working Paper Series 2005:13, IFAU - Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation. [Downloadable!]
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  15. Brian Krogh Graversen & Jan C. van Ours, 2006. "How to Help Unemployed Find Jobs Quickly: Experimental Evidence from a Mandatory Activation Program," IZA Discussion Papers 2504, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  16. Graversen, Brian Krogh & Ours, Jan C. van, 2006. "How to help unemployed find jobs quickly ; experimental evidence from a mandatory activation program," Discussion Paper 126, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Michael Rosholm & Jonas Staghøj & Michael Svarer, 2007. "A Statistical Programme Assignment Model," Economics Working Papers 2007-16, School of Economics and Management, University of Aarhus. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Torben M. Andersen & Michael Svarer, 2008. "The role of workfare in striking a balance between incentives and insurance in the labour market," Economics Working Papers 2008-05, School of Economics and Management, University of Aarhus. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Michael Svarer, 2007. "The Effect of Sanctions on the Job Finding Rate: Evidence from Denmark," Economics Working Papers 2007-10, School of Economics and Management, University of Aarhus. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Ott Toomet, 2008. "Threat Effect Of The Labour Market Programs In Denmark: Evidence From A Quasi-Experiment," University of Tartu - Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Working Paper Series 62, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu (Estonia). [Downloadable!]
  5. Eichhorst, Werner & Konle-Seidl, Regina, 2008. "Contingent Convergence: A Comparative Analysis of Activation Policies," IZA Discussion Papers 3905, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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