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The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) commissioned this review paper to determine what is already known about policies focused on youth, identifying critical unanswered questions, and setting an agenda for research going forward. This paper is divided into two main parts. In part one, [the authors] review evidence and unanswered questions related to young people as decision makers in their personal lives and education. Section one considers whether policy interventions can boost cognitive and noncognitive skills into young adulthood, and whether young girls have particular needs and vulnerabilities that programs should address. Section two looks at how young people’s educational and career choices are affected by financial constraints and incentives, imperfect information, and peers. Section three considers health outcomes and risky behaviours as well as how investments in health and the propensity for risky behaviours can be influenced by educational programming, peer pressure, and financial incentives.

In part two, [the authors] turn to the challenges of youth integration in the labour market. Section four considers the challenges of information asymmetries, which are particularly important for youth as new entrants to the labour market. Section five discusses the role of location in matching youths to jobs and asks whether physical location or social networks are more important in this regard. Section six reviews evidence on how the features of labour contracts and laws, including minimum-wage laws, affect employment for young people. Finally, section seven considers the implications for youth of a number of active labour market policies (ALMPs), including employment services, training, subsidised employment, public work programs, and efforts to develop self-employment and the informal sector.

Excerpts from publication.

Organised by the International Labour Organization in partnership with Silatech, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab and the Arab Urban Development Institute, the symposium, held on 6-8 March 2014 in Doha, brought together policy makers and practitioners with academics and researchers to present and discuss the evidence base for 'what works' in increasing the employment and productivity of youth. Discussants shared recent findings of impact evaluations from the Middle East and North Africa region and other developing regions. Participants were also introduced to evidence from systematic and literature reviews which are important for evidence based policy creation. This paper was one of the background documents to the symposium. Show less