Evidence-based policy-making
The evidence strategy has been implemented across the entire Ministry of Employment and consists of three strands: collect existing evidence about what works, innovate new evidence in relation to this, and communicate the results.
In Denmark, politicians are increasingly interested in the effects of active labour market policies. The Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment (STAR) is therefore working to support the policy process by systematically compiling evidence about the effects of ALMP.
This approach is formally described in the evidence strategy which has been implemented across the entire Ministry of Employment. The evidence strategy has three tracks:
- Collect existing evidence about what works
- Innovate new evidence about what works
- Communicate/disseminate results about what works
Collect existing evidence about what works
- STAR finances researchers to collect existing effect studies (both Danish and international studies) on active measures, and calculate the overall effect for each of the active measures.
- The researcher enters the results from each of the effect studies into our knowledge bank. The researcher then updates the knowledge bank on an annual basis to include new studies in order to ensure that the bank provides the most accurate, up-to-date results.
Innovate new evidence about what works
STAR finances the introduction of new projects to investigate the effects of existing and new programmes in a Danish context.
- These projects are primarily conducted as randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Since 2005, STAR has been using RCTs in order to provide the best possible information about what works. In RCTs, unemployed persons are randomly selected and allocated to two groups: An intervention group and a control group. Unemployed persons in the intervention group receive the program, the effectiveness of which is to be investigated. Unemployed persons in the control group do not receive the program. The effects of the programme are evaluated by external evaluators. Qualitative methods are used in order to provide more understanding about the “why” - the mechanism at work - and about the implementation of the programme.
- STAR also finances projects that use econometric methods to evaluate existing programmes.
Communicate/disseminate results about what works
- STAR communicates the results of efficacy trials via conferences and through its webpage. The results of these trials are also disseminated via networks. STAR has developed a knowledge bank where it is possible to look up the effects of programmes free of charge.
- STAR has developed a knowledge bank where it is possible to look up the effects of programmes free of charge.
For more information on jobeffekter.dk:
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