This study investigated the monthly dynamics of social assistance benefit receipt – in particular the incidence of long‐term benefit receipt – in four European countries: Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The analysis is based on four separate administrative panel data sets, each covering the 96‐month period from January 2001 to December 2008. Benefit dynamics were found to vary considerably across countries. In the two Nordic countries, long‐term benefit receipt was found to be a rare exception. Most recipients, however, had multiple spells and the majority of benefit leavers returned to benefits within a few months of leaving. In Luxembourg and The Netherlands, long‐term benefit receipt was frequent, but benefit leavers were much less likely to return to benefit receipt after exit. The total duration of benefit receipt per individual across spells was two to three times as high in The Netherlands and Luxembourg as in Norway and Sweden.
Means-tested Social Assistance (SA) benefits play an important role as social protection floors supporting households in financial difficulties. This paper presents evidence on the patterns of SA benefit receipt in a selection of OECD and EU countries. It provides an overview of the role of SA benefits in social protection systems and assesses the generosity of benefit payments. It then studies the dynamics of SA benefit receipt based on micro-level data describing trends in aggregate receipt and transition rates and presenting new evidence on spell durations and repeat spells. The final part of the paper summarizes recent empirical evidence on state dependence (or 'scarring effects') in benefit receipt and discusses its possible sources and policy implications.
DOI : 10.1787/5js6363503f6-en ; This paper presents an overview of the situation of youth in OECD countries since the onset of the financial crisis focusing primarily on describing the characteristics and living conditions of young NEETs. It also provides data on the availability, coverage and effectiveness of income-support policies for young people, and summarises available evidence on the impact of interventions that aim at improving the social, education and employment situation of the most disadvantaged youth. Due to the paper's explicit focus on the hardest-to-place, most disadvantaged youth, the range of policies covered is broader than in earlier studies on the same topic, including various social benefits and in-kind services targeted at this group. The paper shows that NEET rates have not yet recovered from the crisis. There are large differences in youth unemployment and inactivity across countries, and these differences were further exacerbated by the recession. Reducing NEET rates is a great challenge for governments, as youth who remain jobless for long periods typically come from more disadvantaged backgrounds, have low levels of educational attainment, and are in many cases inactive. There is substantial evidence, however, that even the most disadvantaged youth can benefit from a variety of targeted interventions, including for instance special education programmes and mentoring. ; Ce rapport présente un aperçu de la situation des jeunes dans les pays de l'OCDE depuis le début de la crise financière, en se concentrant principalement sur les conditions de vie et les caractéristiques des jeunes inactifs qui ne sont ni en emploi, ni scolarisés, ni en formation (NEET). Il fournit également des données sur la disponibilité, la couverture et l'efficacité des prestations sociales, et fait une synthèse de l'efficacité des interventions qui visent à améliorer la situation sociale, l'éducation et l'emploi des jeunes les plus défavorisés. Il se concentre sur les jeunes les plus défavorisés et les plus ...
DOI : 10.1787/5js6363503f6-en ; This paper presents an overview of the situation of youth in OECD countries since the onset of the financial crisis focusing primarily on describing the characteristics and living conditions of young NEETs. It also provides data on the availability, coverage and effectiveness of income-support policies for young people, and summarises available evidence on the impact of interventions that aim at improving the social, education and employment situation of the most disadvantaged youth. Due to the paper's explicit focus on the hardest-to-place, most disadvantaged youth, the range of policies covered is broader than in earlier studies on the same topic, including various social benefits and in-kind services targeted at this group. The paper shows that NEET rates have not yet recovered from the crisis. There are large differences in youth unemployment and inactivity across countries, and these differences were further exacerbated by the recession. Reducing NEET rates is a great challenge for governments, as youth who remain jobless for long periods typically come from more disadvantaged backgrounds, have low levels of educational attainment, and are in many cases inactive. There is substantial evidence, however, that even the most disadvantaged youth can benefit from a variety of targeted interventions, including for instance special education programmes and mentoring. ; Ce rapport présente un aperçu de la situation des jeunes dans les pays de l'OCDE depuis le début de la crise financière, en se concentrant principalement sur les conditions de vie et les caractéristiques des jeunes inactifs qui ne sont ni en emploi, ni scolarisés, ni en formation (NEET). Il fournit également des données sur la disponibilité, la couverture et l'efficacité des prestations sociales, et fait une synthèse de l'efficacité des interventions qui visent à améliorer la situation sociale, l'éducation et l'emploi des jeunes les plus défavorisés. Il se concentre sur les jeunes les plus défavorisés et les plus difficiles à placer. À ce titre, l'éventail des politiques visées est plus élargi que dans les études précédentes sur le même sujet, comprenant tout l'éventail des prestations sociales et un large panorama des interventions possibles, allant des services sociaux à l'emploi, en passant par l'éducation et la santé. Nous montrons que les taux de NEET n'ont pas encore retrouvé leurs niveaux d'avant la crise. Il existe cependant de grandes différences entre pays dans le chômage et l'inactivité des jeunes, qui ont été exacerbées par la récession. Réduire le taux de NEET est difficile pour les gouvernements. Les jeunes qui contribuent le plus au chômage et à l'inactivité restent sans emploi pendant de longues périodes et viennent généralement de milieux les plus défavorisés. Dans de nombreux cas ils ne recherchent pas d'emploi et ont des niveaux d'éducation faibles ou pas d'éducation du tout. Il existe pourtant des preuves que ces jeunes peuvent bénéficier d'un large éventail d'interventions ciblées, allant de programmes d'éducation spécialisée au mentorat.
Österreich liegt im Hinblick auf soziale Mobilität hinter vielen anderen Ländern der OECD zurück. Die Ungleichheit bei den Vermögen der privaten Haushalte stellt dabei eines von vielen Hindernissen für soziale Mobilität dar. Die OECD (Organisation für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung) und die Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) führten daher im Auftrag des Sozialministeriums zwei Studien durch, die sich der Förderung von Chancengleichheit in Österreich widmen. Die Experten der OECD analysieren in der ersten Studie, warum sozialer Aufstieg in Österreich vergleichsweise schwierig ist. Abgeleitet von diesen Erkenntnissen werden für vier Politikbereiche Handlungsempfehlungen formuliert, die zu mehr Chancengleichheit führen sollen. Die zweite Studie der OeNB liefert eine Bestandsanalyse zur Verteilung von Vermögen und der Bedeutung von Erbschaften. Die Ergebnisse werden auf der Haushaltsebene um sozioökonomische Merkmale und politische Einstellungen ergänzt und ermöglichen somit eine inhaltliche Verknüpfung zwischen Vermögensaufbau und sozialer Mobilität.
Patterns of transitions into and out of benefit receipt are important measures of the effectiveness of social protection system, which play a important role in response to economic downturns. This volume contains new research on the dynamics of social insurance, including articles that provide evidence on benefit dependence from various countries
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