Previous research found that less accommodating caseworkers are more successful in placing unemployed workers into employment. This paper explores the causal mechanisms behind this result using semi-parametric mediation analysis. Analyzing rich linked job seeker-caseworker data for Switzerland, we find that the positive employment effects of less accommodating caseworkers are not driven by a particularly effective mix of labor market programs but, rather, by other dimensions of the counseling process, possibly including threats of sanctions and pressure to accept jobs.

This paper addresses microeconometric evaluation by matching methods when the programs under consideration are heterogeneous. Assuming that selection into the different subprograms and the potential outcomes are independent given observable characteristics, estimators based on different propensity scores are compared and applied to the analysis of active labor market policies in the Swiss region of Zurich. Furthermore, the issues of heterogeneous effects and aggregation are addressed. The results suggest that an approach that incorporates the possibility of having multiple programs can be an informative tool in applied work.