Introduction to impact evaluation in Latvia: Capability enhancement workshop

The workshop took place in Riga from 30 to 31 August 2016.

Background

The Youth Guarantee (YG) in Latvia targets young people aged 15-29 who are neither in employment nor in education or training (NEETs). The strategy underpinning the implementation of the YG revolves around a number of key reforms in the areas of early intervention, activation and labour market integration measures. More specifically, it envisages the:
  • development of a comprehensive approach to reach out to young people who are neither in employment, education and training (NEETs);
  • introduction of career education in schools to help young people make informed choices;
  • establishment of second chance vocational education programmes; and
  • design and implementation of a new workflow in the State Employment Agency and the introduction of a number of measures tailored to youth needs.
The implementation of the YG is coordinated by the Ministry of Welfare, while the delivery of interventions is entrusted to a network of partners, including the State Employment Agency, the Ministry of Education and Science, and local authorities. The ILO/EC Action “Enhancing capabilities of practitioners to design, implement and monitor youth employment policies” supports the YG coordination team in: (i) establishing a sound monitoring and evaluation framework; (ii) adjusting the design and delivery of interventions to the needs of young NEETs; and (iii) providing evidence and lessons for future policy design.

Objectives

As part of the ILO/EC Action “Enhancing capabilities of practitioners to design, implement and monitor youth employment policies”, the ILO and the Ministry of Welfare of Latvia organized on 30-31 August, 2016 a capability enhancement workshop aimed to:
  • Discuss impact evaluation methods that may be considered for the interventions planned under the Latvian Youth Guarantee; and
  • Review the main features of experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation designs (randomization methods; difference-in-difference; regression discontinuity design and instrumental variables).

Participants

The workshop was designed for the staff of the Ministry of Welfare (Youth Guarantee coordination team), the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education and its Agencies and Programmes, and the State Employment Agency. The profile of workshop’s participants included technical competencies in the broad areas of the YG and in monitoring and evaluation systems. A total of 21 participants attended the workshop.