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Evaluating Continuous Training Programs Using the Generalized Propensity Score

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Author Info

  • Jochen Kluve
  • Hilmar Schneider
  • Arne Uhlendorff
  • Zhong Zhao

Abstract

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 estimate a continuous dose-response function that relates each value of the dose, i.e. days of training, to the individual post-treatment employment probability (the response). The dose-response function is estimated after adjusting for covariate imbalance using the generalized propensity score, a recently developed method for covariate adjustment under continuous treatment regimes. Our data have the advantage that we can consider both the actual and planned training durations as treatment variables: If only actual durations are observed, treatment effect estimates may be biased because of endogenous exits. Our results indicate an increasing dose-response function for treatments of up to 100 days, which then flattens out. That is, longer training programs do not seem to add an additional treatment effect.

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File URL: http://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.77465.de/dp752.pdf
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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research in its series Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin with number 752.

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Length: 44 p.
Date of creation: 2007
Date of revision:
Publication status: published in: Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A 175 (2012) Part 2, 587-617
Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp752

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Keywords: Training; program evaluation; continuous treatment; generalized propensity score;

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References

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  1. Lechner, Michael & Miquel, Ruth & Wunsch, Conny, 2004. "Long-Run Effects of Public Sector Sponsored Training in West Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 1443, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  2. Jere R. Behrman & Yingmei Cheng & Petra E. Todd, 2004. "Evaluating Preschool Programs When Length of Exposure to the Program Varies: A Nonparametric Approach," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(1), pages 108-132, February.
  3. Imbens, Guido W & Angrist, Joshua D, 1994. "Identification and Estimation of Local Average Treatment Effects," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 62(2), pages 467-75, March.
  4. Flores-Lagunes, Alfonso & Gonzalez, Arturo & Neumann, Todd C., 2007. "Estimating the Effects of Length of Exposure to a Training Program: The Case of Job Corps," IZA Discussion Papers 2846, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  5. Augurzky, Boris & Kluve, Jochen, 2004. "Assessing the Performance of Matching Algorithms When Selection into Treatment Is Strong," IZA Discussion Papers 1301, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  6. Heckman, James J. & Lalonde, Robert J. & Smith, Jeffrey A., 1999. "The economics and econometrics of active labor market programs," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 31, pages 1865-2097 Elsevier.
  7. Lechner, Michael, 1999. "Identification and Estimation of Causal Effects of Multiple Treatments Under the Conditional Independence Assumption," IZA Discussion Papers 91, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  8. Guido W. Imbens, 2004. "Nonparametric Estimation of Average Treatment Effects Under Exogeneity: A Review," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(1), pages 4-29, February.
  9. Schneider, Hilmar & Uhlendorff, Arne, 2006. "Die Wirkung der Hartz-Reform im Bereich der beruflichen Weiterbildung," IZA Discussion Papers 2255, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Kluve, Jochen & Lehmann, Hartmut & Schmidt, Christoph M., 2008. "Disentangling Treatment Effects of Active Labor Market Policies: The Role of Labor Force Status Sequences," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 1270-1295, December.
  2. Ciaian, Pavel & Kancs, d'Artis & Michalek, Jerzy, 2011. "SPS Capitalization into Land Value: Generalized Propensity Score Evidence from the EU," Open Access publications from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven urn:hdl:123456789/319541, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
  3. Kelly, Elish & McGuinness, Seamus & O'Connell, Philip J., 2011. "What Can Active Labour Market Policies Do?," Papers EC1, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
  4. Carlos A. Flores & Oscar A. Mitnik, 2009. "Evaluating Nonexperimental Estimators for Multiple Treatments: Evidence from Experimental Data," Working Papers 2010-9, University of Miami, Department of Economics.
  5. Heyer, Gerd & Koch, Susanne & Stephan, Gesine & Wolff, Joachim, 2011. "Evaluation der aktiven Arbeitsmarktpolitik: Ein Sachstandsbericht für die Instrumentenreform 2011 (Evaluation of active labor market programs : a summary of recent results for the German program refo," IAB Discussion Paper 201117, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
  6. Carlos A. Flores, 2007. "Estimation of Dose-Response Functions and Optimal Doses with a Continuous Treatment," Working Papers 0707, University of Miami, Department of Economics.
  7. Clausen, Jens & Heinesen, Eskil & Hummelgaard, Hans & Husted, Leif & Rosholm, Michael, 2008. "The Effect of Integration Policies on the Time until Regular Employment of Newly Arrived Immigrants: Evidence from Denmark," IZA Discussion Papers 3849, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  8. Becker, Sascha O. & Egger, Peter H. & von Ehrlich, Maximilian, 2012. "Too much of a good thing? On the growth effects of the EU's regional policy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(4), pages 648-668.
  9. Carlos A. Flores & Alfonso Flores-Lagunes & Arturo Gonzalez & Todd C. Neumann, 2009. "Estimating the Effects of Lenght of Exposure to Traning Program: The Case of Job Corps," Working Papers 2010-3, University of Miami, Department of Economics.
  10. Stephan, Gesine & Pahnke, André, 2008. "The Relative Effectiveness of Selected Active Labour Market Programmes and the Common Support Problem," IZA Discussion Papers 3767, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  11. Peter H. Egger & Maximilian von Ehrlich & Douglas R. Nelson, 2012. "Migration and Trade," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 216-241, 02.
  12. FLORES-LAGUNES Alfonso & CHOE Chung & LEE Sang-Jun, 2011. "Do Dropouts Benefit from Training Programs? Korean Evidence Employing Methods for Continuous Treatments," CEPS/INSTEAD Working Paper Series 2011-34, CEPS/INSTEAD.
  13. BIA Michela & FLORES Carlos A. & MATTEI Alessandra, 2011. "Nonparametric Estimators of Dose-Response Functions," CEPS/INSTEAD Working Paper Series 2011-40, CEPS/INSTEAD.
  14. Waller, Marie, 2008. "Further training for the unemployed : what can we learn about dropouts from administrative data?," FDZ Methodenreport 200804_en, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].

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