Effectiveness of active labour market policies: from theory to research, from findings to action

Context

This event will build on the Peer Learning Event on impact assessment held in Cairo in April 2025, in which participants were introduced to core concepts of evaluation and impact assessment, including theory of change, different methodological approaches, and key implementation constraints. Information about the event is available here.

The main objective of the event is to strengthen the capacity of employment institutions in the EU Neighbourhood and Enlargement regions to plan, organise, and commission impact assessment of active labour market policies (ALMPs), and to make informed use of existing evaluation evidence.

The Peer Learning Event will focus on the following areas:

• understanding when and why impact assessment is an appropriate tool for ALMPs;
• translating policy challenges into clear and feasible impact assessment questions;
• institutional roles, organisational arrangements, and skills needed to commission and manage impact assessment;
• ensuring access to the good quality data; and
• identifying and using existing sources of evaluation and impact assessment evidence

Participants

The main target group of the event will be representatives of employment institutions, including ministries responsible for employment policies and public employment services, as well as experts, evaluators, and representatives of civil society organisations involved in labour market policy and evaluation. Participants will primarily represent EU Neighbourhood and Enlargement countries. Representatives of selected EU Member States will also be invited, with the aim of strengthening cooperation and facilitating the exchange of knowledge, experience, and practical solutions across different institutional and policy contexts.