Labour markets within countries vary in their performance. Some regions suffer from labour shortages, while others are faced with high unemployment figures. Furthermore structure and qualification of the workforce differs, and real wage patterns show diverging pictures between and within regions. Based on these empirical facts this study sheds some light on the wage unemployment relation and the impact active labour market policies has on this. Basic assumption is that market imperfections lead to unemployment in regional labour markets, partly owing to region-specific wage structures, and that active labour market policies can alleviate this problem. Five aspects are focused: The interaction of regional unemployment and wages based on the wage curve, the question how qualification patterns influence the regional wage level, the effectiveness of regional labour market policies, the impact of these policies on regional wage-setting, and the impact of employment service performance on real wages.

This book argues that unemployment is symptomatic of an inherently inefficient labour market founded on structured inequalities of locality, sex, race and age. It provides a multidisciplinary explanation of why unemployment has been a continuing crisis, suitable for students in many disciplines.

This book is a collection of original works by authors from all over the world on aspects of unemployment and job issues, seen from various angles and based on their recent research. It sheds light on fresh ideas on unemployment, such as the intergenerational approach and unemployment normalization, and offers solutions from diverse areas such as social economy development and policy-making. Practical issues regarding job creation and labor mobility are also covered. The book aims to provide not only a better understanding of the nature and extent of unemployment in various parts of the world but also solutions in diverse contexts.

Since the beginning of the economic crisis of the 1980s considerable research has been dedicated to the study of the unemployment problem. Nevertheless, the phenomenon has not become fully understood, nor are its consequences adequately prevented. In this important new volume, On the Mysteries of Unemployment, economists and social scientists come together to offer the reader the latest insights on unemployment and policies regarding unemployment from the perspectives of both disciplines. On the Mysteries of Unemployment contains four main sections. Part One provides an introductory chapter and general overview. Part Two contains rich contributions that provide new insights from an economic science perspective, while Part Three offers a balanced view from social scientists. The final section is devoted to the examination of policy issues concerning unemployment. This volume, unique in its field, will be of interest to researchers, students, politicians and policy-makers.

Evaluation studies reported in this work focus on two aspects of active labor market policies that have been relatively neglected in previous research, aggregate impact analysis and implementation issues, in an effort to understand active labor market policies' contributions to the prevention of long-term unemployment and social exclusion in Europe. The question is approached from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Countries discussed include France, Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands, and Spain. De Koning is affiliated with the Social Economic Research Institute of Erasmus University, The Netherlands. Mosley is affiliated with the Labor Market Policy and Employment Research Unit at the Social Science Research Center in Germany. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

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More than a decade after the start of the transition process, unemployment rates remain in the double digits in a number of Central and Eastern European countries. That unemployment rates have failed to decline, even in countries experiencing good growth, is puzzling. In this paper the authors examine three interrelated questions: How has the transition from central planning to market economies affected labor market performance? How have labor market institutions and policies influenced developments? Why have regional differences in unemployment persisted? The authors take an eclectic methodological approach: construction of a new data set and a simple analytical model; econometric estimation; and case studies. They find that faster-performing countries have better unemployment records; that labor market policies have some, but not dominant, influence over labor market outcomes; that policies not typically viewed as labor market policies can nevertheless significantly affect labor markets; and that market processes cannot be relied on to eliminate regional differences in unemployment.