A Comparison of Effects on Capabilities in Transitions to the Labour Market

Final Report on the WorkAble EU Collaborative Project (2009-2012)

Introduction by Enrica Chiappero Martinetti

This final report presents the findings of Work Package 5 (WP5) of the EU collaborative research project “Making Capabilities Work” (WorkAble).

The overall aim of WorkAble is to provide knowledge on how to enable young people to act as capable citizens in the labour markets of European knowledge societies, and to assess political and institutional strategies aimed at countering high rates of youth unemployment, early school leaving and dropping out from upper secondary education.

The project’s three main objectives are first, to expand the capabilities of young people to act as fully participating citizens in emerging European knowledge societies; second, to promote skills and competencies in young people that are conducive to improving the economic productivity and competitiveness of Europe; and third, to develop transversal strategies that integrate central economic, educational and social issues, in order to close the capability gap in the young and particularly the inadequacies between education and training and the requisites of the knowledge society to which they, and, above all, the more disadvantaged are exposed.

Using EU-SILC longitudinal data as well as in-depth analyses of specific countries and comparative analyses of pairs of countries, the aim of WP5 (“Effects on transitional trajectories of young people”) is to identify and understand the transitions that young Europeans make from the educational system to the labour market, and to assess whether educational strategies contribute to expanding their capabilities for work and social participation. Special attention is given to analysing the degree to which comparable educational attainments among young people lead to different labour market opportunities, depending on the configuration of labour market and educational regimes. WP5 also examines the relationship between education, transitional trajectories and individual well-being and social exclusion, and how this relationship varies between different EU member states.

The present final report contains two main sections. The first section consists of brief synopses for each of the seven papers produced by the researchers participating in WP5. Each synopsis includes the title of the paper in question, the main research question that it poses, the data and methodology utilized, and the main findings. The second section consists of the Annexes, which contain the seven papers in full.

Full text (PDF 263pp)

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