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Non-public provision of active labor market programs in Arab- Mediterranean countries : an inventory of youth programs

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  • Angel-Urdinola, Diego F.
  • Semlali, Amina
  • Brodmann, Stefanie

Abstract

This note presents and analyzes the main design features of an inventory of non-publicly provided Active Labor Market Programs (ALMPs) in Arab-Mediterranean Countries (AMCs), with a specific focus on programs targeted at youth. Despite considerable international evidence, there is little systematic analysis on the effectiveness of ALMPs in AMCs as most programs and investments remain largely un-assessed. Since most AMCs lack unemployment insurance systems or other safety nets for the unemployed, ALMPs constitute a relevant instrument to address the consequences of labor market frictions, such as high unemployment and slow school-to-work transition. Programs from nine countries are included in the inventory: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. Benchmarked against international best practices, assessment of the programs covered in the inventory reveals that the majority lack the necessary mix of design features that make programs effective. These findings call for urgent reforms in program design and delivery, especially given the sizeable financial investments in programs and the urgency to improve labor market outcomes among youth. This policy note constitutes a first step towards understanding and assessing provision of ALMPs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and intends to provide policy makers and financiers with options for reform to enhance efficiency of existing programs and improve the design of future interventions. In addition to specific aspects of program design and implementation, stakeholder coordination needs to be strengthened and put at the forefront of ALMP reform.

Suggested Citation

  • Angel-Urdinola, Diego F. & Semlali, Amina & Brodmann, Stefanie, 2010. "Non-public provision of active labor market programs in Arab- Mediterranean countries : an inventory of youth programs," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 55673, The World Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:wbk:hdnspu:55673
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesca Marchetta, 2012. "The Impact of Migration on the Labor Markets in the Arab Mediterranean Countries," Middle East Development Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 1230001-121, January.
    2. Evelyn Vezza, 2014. "Escaneo de Políticas y Meta-Análisis: Juventud y Políticas de Empleo en América Latina (Policy scan and meta-analysis: Youth and Employment policies in Latin America)," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0156, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    3. Zimmermann, Klaus F. & Biavaschi, Costanza & Eichhorst, Werner & Giulietti, Corrado & Kendzia, Michael J. & Muravyev, Alexander & Pieters, Janneke & Rodríguez-Planas, Núria & Schmidl, Ricarda, 2013. "Youth Unemployment and Vocational Training," Foundations and Trends(R) in Microeconomics, now publishers, vol. 9(1–2), pages 1-157, December.
    4. Schwalje, Wes, 2011. "Knowledge-based Economic Development as a Unifying Vision in a Post-awakening Arab World," MPRA Paper 30305, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Holzmann, Robert, 2010. "Bringing Financial Literacy and Education to Low and Middle Income Countries: The Need to Review, Adjust, and Extend Current Wisdom," IZA Discussion Papers 5114, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Eleonora Bertoni & Giorgio Ricchiuti, 2017. "A Multilevel Analysis of Unemployment in Egypt," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 31(4), pages 494-514, December.
    7. Diego Angel-Urdinola & Rene Leon-Solano, 2013. "A reform agenda for improving the delivery of ALMPs in the MENA region," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-25, December.
    8. Almeida, Rita & Arbelaez, Juliana & Honorati, Maddalena & Kuddo, Arvo & Lohmann, Tanja & Ovadiya, Mirey & Pop, Lucian & Puerta, Maria Laura Sanchez & Weber, Michael, 2012. "Improving access to jobs and earnings opportunities : the role of activation and graduation policies in developing countries," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 67610, The World Bank.
    9. Janice Tripney & Mark Newman & Kimberly Hovish & Chris Brown, 2012. "PROTOCOL: Post‐basic Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Interventions to Improve Employability and Employment of TVET Graduates in Low‐ and Middle‐income Countries," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(1), pages 1-53.
    10. Zara Liaqat & Jeffrey Nugent, 2015. "Under-provision of private training by MENA firms: what to Do about It?," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-29, December.
    11. Burchell, Brendan. & Coutts, Adam P. & Hall, Edward. & Pye, Nick., 2015. "Self-employment programmes for young people : a review of the context, policies and evidence," ILO Working Papers 994898993402676, International Labour Organization.
    12. Matthew Groh & David McKenzie & Nour Shammout & Tara Vishwanath, 2015. "Testing the importance of search frictions and matching through a randomized experiment in Jordan," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-20, December.
    13. Stijn Broecke, 2013. "Tackling graduate unemployment in North Africa through employment subsidies: A look at the SIVP programme in Tunisia," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-19, December.
    14. Schwalje, Wes, 2011. "A Conceptual Model of National Skills Formation for Knowledge-based Economic Development," MPRA Paper 30302, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    17. Janice Tripney & Jorge Hombrados & Mark Newman & Kimberly Hovish & Chris Brown & Katarzyna Steinka‐Fry & Eric Wilkey, 2013. "Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Interventions to Improve the Employability and Employment of Young People in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: A Systematic Review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(1), pages 1-171.
    18. Alberto Minujin, 2011. "Child Poverty in East Asia and the Pacific: Deprivations and Disparities, A Study of Seven Countries," Working papers 1109, UNICEF,Division of Policy and Strategy.

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    Keywords

    Labor Markets; Labor Policies; Primary Education; Poverty Impact Evaluation; Education For All;
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