Youth Employment Programs - Independent Evaluation Group

tems; ALMPs; and informal sector employment. However, they do notcover school-to-work transitions, and cover only to a limited extentunemployed out-of-school youth (Ghana, Jordan, Nigeria, Serbia, andTunisia).• General Youth Assessments relate to the broader topic of youth empowerment,of which employment is a central feature. There is limitedcoverage of labor market policies and regulations, skill building relevantto labor markets, and links between employment and growth (Argentina,Timor-Leste, and Zambia).• Youth Employment Assessments conducted in countries where youthemployment is a pillar in a country program or poverty reductionstrategy program. The focus is on skills building, school-to-work transitions,labor market regulations, and demand for youth by firms. Theseassessments also examine sectoral growth patterns, unemployment, andfinancing of youth employment programs (Burkina Faso, The Gambia,Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania).• Skills Development Assessments identify the demand for skills and educationand TVET systems. Studies develop strategies to ensure relevantskills for rapidly growing economies (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia,and Mongolia).• Special Studies focusing on a particular aspect of youth employment,such as school-to-work transition, the nexus between child labor andyouth employment, and the relationship between economic growth, thebusiness cycle and youth employment (Brazil, Ethiopia, and Turkey).Analysis. Each report was reviewed with respect to four dimensions: (i)strategic relevance, consisting of timeliness, government ownership, andstrategic coherence; (ii) quality of contextual and diagnostic analysisincluding coverage of relevant factors such as data, hypotheses testing, andclarity of presentation; (iii) quality of conclusions and recommendations foryouth employment with regard to macroeconomic conditions, the investmentclimate, labor market institutions, education, and social protection; and (iv)dialogue and dissemination, including consultation with stakeholders, publicavailability of the report and national awareness, and the degree of follow-upin implementing recommendations.Identification and Analysis of Country Case Study ProgramsCountries face different youth employment issues and challenges. Theevaluation takes these differences into account with 18 country casestudies to understand the nature of the World Bank Group’s work on youthemployment in client countries from 2001 to 2011, as well as the relevanceof the youth employment program given the countries’ needs. The casestudies use the MILES framework to provide information on the types andcauses of youth unemployment, the strategies used by countries with andwithout World Bank and IFC support to promote youth employment through78 Youth Employment Programs