Youth‐focused active labour market programmes in a constraining welfare regime: A qualitative reading of programmes in Egypt

Abstract

Active labour market programmes (ALMPs) are at the core of welfare regimes in many countries across the world. This study addressed youth‐focused ALMPs in Egypt, a country with high youth unemployment and a plethora of programmes ostensibly addressing this issue. Building on interviews with implementers, programme documentation and a publically accessible inventory of programmes in Egypt, the analysis locates ALMPs within the country's overall welfare system and the politics of programme targeting, design, governance and implementation modalities. The legacy of state ‘protective’ policies and the fragmented multiplicity of players within the field constrain the effectiveness and outreach of these programmes. Analysis of implementation modalities also shows that there is a pervasive lack of programme coordination, activity documentation, management for results, and pathways to achieving sustainability and programme institutionalisation. Key Practitioner Message: • Egypt's fragmented ALMPs field must be integrated and coordinated within the country's broader welfare system • Programme documentation, management of results, rigorous evaluation and sustainability plans must be seriously addressed

Can youth activation policies be central to social policies in MENA countries?

“…Angel‐Urdinola and Leon‐Solano () note that almost half of ALMPs delivered by public employment agencies in the region target high‐skilled unemployed individuals. The same observation has been made by Barsoum (), with a specific focus on programmes in Egypt. Even public works activities, which traditionally focus on rural, less educated beneficiaries, have targeted educated youth with a focus on literacy improvement activities.…”

“…Non‐state actors play a significant role in this field in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan (Angel‐Urdinola, Kuddo and Semlali, , p. 30). In fact, non‐state actors provide the majority of programmes in Egypt, with the Social Fund for Development historically playing a larger role in entrepreneurship promotion in partnership with civil society organizations (Barsoum, ). The private sector has been particularly involved in the region, responding to specific skill needs pertinent to their industries.…”

“…Training is the most common type of intervention provided by both state and non‐state actors in the region (Angel‐Urdinola and Leon‐Solano, ). In Egypt, training is the primary category of intervention for two‐thirds of surveyed interventions (Barsoum, ; ETF, ). A key characteristic of state‐provided training programmes is that they rely on classroom sessions, with only few providing on‐the‐job training (Angel‐Urdinola and Leon‐Solano, ).…”

“…Targeting is also gendered. Despite the large gender disparity in the region in labour force participation, Barsoum () argues that the term “youth” generally connotes with male youth. Women find themselves mainly on the two ends of the ALMP spectrum, either in traditional needlework training programmes for uneducated young women or in campus‐based job placement programmes (Barsoum, ).…”

“…This reflects the weakness of systems of results‐based monitoring and evaluation in this field. Looking at data on ALMPs in Egypt, Barsoum () shows that out of 182 programmes surveyed in Egypt, only four had impact evaluations, and only 52 had process evaluations. Weak documentation and a lack of rigorous analysis on cost effectiveness, impact and effectiveness all limit the potential to improve these programmes.…”