Youth‐oriented Active Labour Market Policies: Explaining Policy Effort in the Nordic and the Baltic States

Abstract

Abstract The starting point of this study is the seemingly striking similarity in the number of youth‐oriented labour market policies adopted by the Nordic and the Baltic EU member states in 2013–14 despite markedly different welfare regimes. The similarities remain when concentrating on active labour market policies (ALMPs) and extending the observation period to 2007–15, but the application of a more refined coding scheme suggests that there are also notable cross‐country differences. Estonia, Finland and Sweden are found to exhibit a relatively similar approach to youth‐oriented ALMPs, while Denmark, Latvia and Lithuania are more distinct cases. The similarities in the policy effort can be explained by similar problem pressure, EU‐guided policy learning and the provision of EU funding. Lastly, the policy approaches of the Nordic states indicate a path‐dependency. Thus, while the youth‐oriented policy effort may appear to be quite similar, important differences remain.