Lucić, Marko and Puljiz, Jakša (2026) "Make a wish”: how a de-institutionalised care programme shaped the dynamics of women’s aggregate labour market outcomes in Croatia. Journal for labour market research. pp. 1-21. ISSN 2510-5019 (Print), 2510-5027 (Online)
![[img]](http://idiprints.knjiznica.idi.hr/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text
JfLMR 2026 Lucić, Puljiz.pdf Download (5MB) |
Abstract
IN ENGLISH: Public works are usually considered a less important and less effective type of Active Labour Market Policies (ALMP) as has been emphasized by various empirical studies, mainly based on micro-level data. However, very few studies have loo ked at local-level labour market effects in the case of large-scale public works intervention. In this study, we perform a municipality-level counterfactual evaluation of a large-scale intervention targeting unemployed women without tertiary education in Croatia to work as assistants for elderly people. The municipality-level effects are examined in Croatia by applying difference-in-differences (DID) estimation and following the approach for staggered rollout by Callaway and Sant’Anna (Callaway and Sant’Anna 2021a). Empirical findings suggest that intervention has resulted in significant reductions in long-term unemployment over the longer term, albeit partly caused by the implementation dynamics, in particular the return of participants to the unemployment register after completion. More genuine and lasting impact on long-term unemployment was noted only two years after the municipality’s exposure to the intervention. Despite the significant financial resources invested in the intervention, we find no evidence of displacement effects. We found no effects on women’s employment in other jobs or on their activity rate. Besides the empirical findings, research also involves methodological insights regarding the application of aggregate-level counterfactual studies in the evaluation of labour market interventions, providing lessons on evaluation setup, evaluation timeliness, research questions and data availability. ------------- IN CROATIAN: Javni radovi se obično smatraju manje važnom i manje učinkovitom vrstom aktivnih mjera politike tržišta rada, što su naglasila različita empirijska istraživanja, uglavnom temeljena na podacima na mikro-razini. Međutim, vrlo je malo studija istraživalo učinke intervencija javnih radova velikih razmjera na lokalno tržište rada. U ovom istraživanju provodimo protučinjeničnu procjenu na razini općina za intervenciju velikih razmjera koja je usmjerena na nezaposlene žene bez visokog obrazovanja u Hrvatskoj, s ciljem njihovog zapošljavanja u pružanju dodatne skrbi i podrške starijima i osobama s invaliditetom u njihovome domu. Učinci na razini općina u Hrvatskoj ispituju se primjenom metode razlike u razlikama s pristupom za neistovremeno uvođenje intervencije u promatranim jedinicama (Callaway i Sant’Anna 2021a). Empirijski nalazi sugeriraju da je intervencija rezultirala značajnim smanjenjem dugotrajne nezaposlenosti na dulji rok, iako je to djelomično uzrokovano dinamikom provedbe, točnije povratkom sudionica u evidenciju nezaposlenih nakon završetka programa. Stvarniji i trajniji utjecaj na dugotrajnu nezaposlenost zabilježen je tek dvije godine nakon izloženosti općine intervenciji. Unatoč značajnim financijskim sredstvima uloženim u intervenciju, nismo pronašli dokaze o efektima istiskivanja. Također, nisu utvrđeni učinci na zapošljavanje žena na drugim poslovima niti na stopu njihove aktivnosti. Osim empirijskih nalaza, istraživanje donosi i metodološke uvide u primjenu protučinjeničnih studija na agregiranoj razini u evaluaciji intervencija na tržištu rada, odnosno lekcije o uzimanju konteksta u obzir, pravovremenosti evaluacije, istraživačkim pitanjima i dostupnosti podataka.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Language: English. - Title in Croatian: 'Zaželi': kako je program izvaninstitucijske skrbi oblikovao dinamiku agregatnih ishoda za žene na tržištu rada u Hrvatskoj. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Active labour market policies, public works, municipalities, evaluation, difference-in-differences (aktivne mjere politike tržišta rada, javni radovi, općine, evaluacija, razlika u razlikama) |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare |
| Depositing User: | Karolina |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Jul 2026 07:44 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Jul 2026 11:21 |
| URI: | http://idiprints.knjiznica.idi.hr/id/eprint/1301 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
