How effective are effort targets? This paper provides novel evidence on the effects of job search requirements on effort provision and labor market outcomes. Based on large-scale register data, we ...estimate the returns to required job search effort, instrumenting individual requirements with caseworker stringency. Identification is ensured by the conditional random assignment of job seekers to caseworkers. We find that the duration of un- and non-employment both decrease by 3% if the requirement increases by one monthly application. When instrumenting actual applications with caseworker stringency, an additionally provided monthly application decreases the length of spells by 4%. In line with theory, we further find that the effect of required effort decreases in the individual's voluntary effort. Finally, the requirement level causes small negative effects on job stability, reducing the duration of re-employment spells by 0.3% per required application. We find a zero effect on re-employment wages.
•We study effects of changes in the number of required and provided job applications, instrumented by caseworker stringency.•The duration of un- and non-employment spells both decrease by 3% if the requirement increases by one monthly application.•An additional provided monthly job application decreases the length of spells by 4%.•We find small negative effects on job stability and no effect on re-employment wages.
Acute stroke treatment has advanced substantially over the last years. Important milestones constitute intravenous thrombolysis, endovascular therapy (EVT), and treatment of stroke patients in ...dedicated units (stroke units). At present in Switzerland there are 13 certified stroke units and 10 certified EVT-capable stroke centers. Emerging challenges for the prehospital pathways are that (i) acute stroke treatment remains very time sensitive, (ii) the time window for acute stroke treatment has opened up to 24 h in selected cases, and (iii) EVT is only available in stroke centers. The goal of the current guideline is to standardize the prehospital phase of patients with acute stroke for them to receive the optimal treatment without unnecessary delays. Different prehospital models exist. For patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO), the Drip and Ship model is the most commonly used in Switzerland. This model is challenged by the Mothership model where stroke patients with suspected LVO are directly transferred to the stroke center. This latter model is only effective if there is an accurate triage by paramedics, hence the patient may benefit from the right treatment in the right place, without loss of time. Although the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale is a well-established scale to detect acute stroke in the prehospital setting, it neglects nonmotor symptoms like visual impairment or severe vertigo. Therefore we suggest “acute occurrence of a focal neurological deficit” as the trigger to enter the acute stroke pathway. For the triage whether a patient has a LVO (yes/no), there are a number of scores published. Accuracy of these scores is borderline. Nevertheless, applying the Rapid Arterial Occlusion Evaluation score or a comparable score to recognize patients with LVO may help to speed up and triage prehospital pathways. Ultimately, the decision of which model to use in which stroke network will depend on local (e.g. geographical) characteristics.
This paper investigates the role of biased health perceptions as a potential driving force of risky health behaviors. We define absolute and relative health perception biases, illustrate their ...measurement in surveys and provide evidence on their relevance. Next, we decompose the theoretical effect into its extensive and intensive margin: When the extensive margin dominates, people (wrongly) believe they are healthy enough to “afford” unhealthy behavior. Finally, using three population surveys, we provide robust empirical evidence that respondents who overestimate their health are less likely to exercise and sleep enough, but more likely to eat unhealthily and drink alcohol daily.
This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of benefit sanctions on post-unemployment outcomes such as post-unemployment employment stability and earnings. We use rich register data ...which allow us to distinguish between a warning that a benefit reduction may take place in the near future and the actual withdrawal of unemployment benefits. Adopting a multivariate mixed proportional hazard approach to address selectivity, we find that warnings do not affect subsequent employment stability but do reduce post-unemployment earnings. Actual benefit reductions lower the quality of post-unemployment jobs both in terms of job duration as well as in terms of earnings.
Public employment service (PES) agencies and caseworkers (CWs) often have substantial leeway in the design and implementation of active labor market policies for the unemployed, and they use policies ...to a varying extent. We estimate regime effects which capture how CW and PES affect outcomes through different policy intensities. These operate potentially on all forward-looking job seekers regardless of actual treatment exposure. We consider regime effects for two sets of programs, supporting ("carrots") and restricting ("sticks") programs, and contrast regime and treatment effects on unemployment durations, employment, and post-unemployment earnings using register data that contain PES and caseworker identifiers for about 130,000 job spells. Regime effects are important: earnings are higher in a PES if carrot-type programs are used more intensively and stick-type programs are used less intensively. Actual treatment effects on earnings have a similar order of magnitude as regime effects and are positive for participation in carrot-type programs and negative for stick-type treatments. Regime effects are economically substantial. A modest increase in the intended usage of carrots and sticks reduces the total cost of an unemployed individual by up to 7.5%.
PDF
