Active labor market programs for youth: The numbers tell the tale?

Scholars from different fields have studied youth unemployment: its causes, consequences, and ways to tackle it. This chapter provides an overview of the most important results with a specific focus on effectiveness. Among the topics reviewed are the need for research regarding effectiveness, different methods to study effectiveness, and how the results of these methods are appraised. Then other factors than the research design are described to assess the practical significance of ALMPs, followed by a description of the results of recent reviews and meta-analyses. Finally, some selected factors that impact ALMP effectiveness are discussed. This chapter ends with a discussion of current debates and identification of future research opportunities.