State Intervention and Mental Well-being Among the Unemployed

2001 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTIAS STRANDH
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
State Intervention ◽  
Unemployment Benefit ◽  
Unemployment Benefits ◽  
Active Labour Market Policy ◽  
Active Labour ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Positive Effect

Although the relationship between unemployment and poor mental well-being has long been an area of interest within behavioural science, the role of state intervention in the unemployment situation has not been thoroughly investigated. This article investigates how unemployment benefit systems and active labour market policy measures affect mental well-being among the unemployed in Sweden. The study uses a longitudinal and nationally representative survey of 3,500 unemployed Swedes. Three different types of active labour market policy measures involving the unemployed were studied, ‘activation’, ‘vocational training’ and ‘work-place participation’ measures. Of these only involvement in ‘workplace participation’ was found to have a clearly positive effect on mental well-being among those participating. Of the two Swedish unemployment benefit systems, the more generous income replacement Unemployment Benefits and the less generous flat rate Cash Unemployment Benefits, only access to income replacement Unemployment Benefits was found to mediate the mental well-being impact of unemployment. The positive effect of access to income replacement Unemployment Benefits was further accentuated when unemployment was prolonged. Those with access to this benefit system seemed to suffer no further deterioration of mental well-being, while the mental well-being of the rest of the unemployed further deteriorated.

scholarly journals Entrepreneurship among the Unemployed: the Effect of Unemployment Benefit

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjian Xu
Keyword(s):  
Survival Analysis ◽  
Probability Model ◽  
Unemployment Benefit ◽  
Unemployment Benefits ◽  
Linear Probability Model ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Linear Probability ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Positive Effect

This paper probes the drivers and constraints that affect an unemployed individual's decision to start a business. Using linear probability model and survival analysis, we find that unemployment benefits have a significantly negative effect on switching from unemployment to self-employment and a positive effect on the duration before the switch, especially on the unincorporated self-employment. Moreover, unemployed individuals are less likely to start a business after being laid off, if their spouse does not have a job or most people expect the unemployment rate to go down in the coming 12 months.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic gradients and mental health: implications for public health

2015 ◽  
Vol 206 (6) ◽  
pp. 461-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Stewart-Brown ◽  
Preshila Chandimali Samaraweera ◽  
Frances Taggart ◽  
Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala ◽  
Saverio Stranges
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Odds Ratios ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Middle Range ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Mental Well Being

BackgroundResearch on mental well-being is relatively new and studies of its determinants are rare.AimsTo investigate whether the socioeconomic correlates of mental well-being mirror those for mental illness.MethodUsing logistic regression analyses, the independent odds ratios of high and low mental well-being, compared with middle-range mental well-being, were estimated for a number of sociodemographic variables known to be associated with mental illness from 13 983 participants in the 2010 and 2011 Health Surveys for England.ResultsIndependent odds ratios for low mental well-being were as expected from studies of mental illness with increased odds for the unemployed (OR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.01–2.10) and those aged 35–54 years (OR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.35–1.84) and reduced odds for the married (OR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.62–0.97). A linear trend was observed with education and equivalised income. Odds ratios for high mental well-being differed from those for low mental well-being with regard to age (55+ years: OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.23–1.79); employment status where there was an association only with retirement (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.09–1.69); education where there was no association; and equivalised income for which the association was non-linear.ConclusionsOdds ratios for low mental well-being mirrored those for mental illness, but not those for high mental well-being, suggesting that the socioeconomic factors associated with positive mental health are different from those associated with mental illness.

A beta bailout: the near future of state intervention

Soundings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (75) ◽  
pp. 37-54
Author(s):  
Craig Berry ◽  
Daniel Bailey ◽  
Katy Jones
Keyword(s):  
State Intervention ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Active Labour Market Policy ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
New Public ◽  
Active Labour ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Near Future

This article asks what kind of state intervention is needed for a post-Covid recovery. The government bailout will seek to sustain a modified form of neoliberalism, but what is needed is a bailout for society from the wreckage of the neoliberal paradigm. The outlines of a strategy for the UK economy are presented: at its heart is a radical industrial policy that prioritises social infrastructure, a green transition and providing quality employment opportunities, while paying particular attention to the functioning of the foundational economy. An active labour market policy (ALMP) is also needed, which turns away from a focus on conditionality for those on benefits, and instead focuses support on industries less affected by the pandemic and its implications for demand, including through securing a workforce that is ready to populate them. Conditionality should, on the other hand, be imposed on firms receiving government support. Bailout 2.0 must also involve intervention designed to create new public assets, managed via new forms of democratic ownership.

scholarly journals How does a targeted active labour market program impact on the well-being of the unemployed? A concept mapping study on Barcelona “Employment in the Neighbourhoods”

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Puig-Barrachina ◽  
Davide Malmusi ◽  
Lucía Artazcoz ◽  
Xavier Bartoll ◽  
Eva Clotet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mapping Study ◽  
Program Impact ◽  
Active Labour ◽  
The Unemployed

scholarly journals Sustainability of the Pension System, Risks and Opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (Special edition 2020/2) ◽  
pp. 57-85
Author(s):  
Ákos Péter ◽  
Erzsébet Németh ◽  
Bálint Tamás Vargha
Keyword(s):  
Pension Fund ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Pension System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Pension Costs ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
Labour Market Activity ◽  
Mental Well Being

All other things being equal by 2060 out of 10 of the working age population 6 pensioners will be accounted for. This does constitute a risk for the sustainability of pensions. Our study has analysed the most recent data on demographics, economy, employment, and its underlying factors, as well as the expected development of the figures of the pension fund. Our findings point to that the shrinking of the population of women of childbearing age will result in a constant decrease of birth rates even by a modest increase in fertility rates. Therefore, family policy measures - being indispensable - are of their own insufficient to mitigate the economic and pension risks. Due to its conjunctural nature economic growth can only temporarily mitigate the risks. On the other hand, the extension of the labour market activity of elderly people can set back the increase in pension costs with well predictable efficiency. Means to this end can include promoting activity at old ages, raising retirement ages, preserving physical and mental well-being and employability, as well as spreading the culture of self-reliance.

Non-Financial Employment Motivation and Well-Being in different Labour Market Situations: A Longitudinal Study

1999 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 601-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Nordenmark
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Labour Market Situation ◽  
Market Situation ◽  
Market Status ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Employment Commitment

This article examines non-financial employment motivation and mental well-being among people in different labour market situations, such as unemployment, stimulating employment or instrumental employment, and controls for the possibility that variations in motivation and well-being are either caused by present labour market status or are the result of a selection process. The article is based on a panel study of 1,782 Swedes who were interviewed at the beginning of 1996, when all were unemployed, and then again at the end of 1997, when the labour market situation had changed for some of them. The results show that, in 1997, the unemployed had the same level of employment commitment as individuals with instrumental jobs, but as compared to people with stimulating jobs, their non-financial employment motivation was weaker. In general, the unemployed report poorer mental well-being than the employed. Results support the hypothesis that the substantial changes in employment commitment and mental health observed between 1996 and 1997 are primarily due to the labour market situation in 1997. The results refute the notion that the level of employment motivation is a major determinant of the likelihood of getting a paid job.

scholarly journals Activation is not a panacea: active labour market policy, long-term unemployment and institutional complementarity

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUC BENDA ◽  
FERRY KOSTER ◽  
ROMKE VAN DER VEEN
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Employment Protection ◽  
Unemployment Benefit ◽  
Labour Market Policy ◽  
Active Labour Market Policy ◽  
Market Policy ◽  
Labour Market Policies ◽  
Active Labour Market Policies ◽  
Active Labour

AbstractEvaluation studies of active labour market policy show different activation measures generate contradictory results. In the present study, we argue that these contradictory results are due to the fact that the outcomes of activation measures depend on other institutions. The outcome measure in this study is the long-term unemployment rate. Two labour market institutions are of special interest in this context: namely, employment protection and unemployment benefits. Both institutions, depending on their design, may either increase or decrease the effectiveness of active labour market policies in lowering long-term unemployment. Based on an analysis of macro-level data on 20 countries over a period of 16 years, our results show that employment protection strictness and unemployment benefit generosity interact with the way in which active labour market policies relate to long-term unemployment. Our results also indicate that, depending on the measure used, active labour market policies fit either in a flexible or in a coordinated labour market. This suggests that active labour market policies can adhere to both institutional logics, which are encapsulated in different types of measures.

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