The ESF+ (European Social Fund Plus) intervention stands as a beacon of support and empowerment within the European Union, aimed at fostering social inclusion, employment opportunities, and skills development. Through strategic investment in education, training, and job creation initiatives, ESF+ endeavors to equip individuals with the tools necessary to thrive in an ever-evolving job market. By prioritizing marginalized communities, promoting gender equality, and addressing the needs of migrants and refugees, ESF+ embodies the EU’s commitment to fostering a cohesive and resilient society. Through collaborative efforts with member states and local authorities, ESF+ interventions pave the way for a brighter, more equitable future for all citizens of the European Union.
Visionary Analytics team is excited to announce that together with Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini we are working on a study titled “Study supporting the Impact assessment of the future European Social Fund proposal. Achieving structural change: conditions for success in the areas of ESF intervention”.
The aim of the study is to expand the knowledge base on causal mechanisms and necessary conditions for successful structural change in broad areas of ESF+ intervention, i.e., employment, skills, and social inclusion. The specific objectives of the study are twofold:
- Provide a map of structural reforms carried out in Member States in 2014-2022 in employment, skills, and social inclusion policy areas (including key drivers of specific reform; key building blocks/policy measures of reform; the extent to which the reforms were successful in addressing underlying challenges).
- Explore factors behind successful/unsuccessful implementation of structural reforms (including analysis of broad range of factors affecting successful initiation and design, implementation, and follow-up of structural reforms, as well as which EU tools are most effective and under which conditions and for which groups of Member States).
To achieve the objectives, the study focuses on the following tasks:
- Mapping and documentary review with the goal to 1) map ESF-relevant structural reforms implemented in the Member States in 2014-2022, and 2) produce a horizontal analysis of the structural reforms.
- Case studies – 10 in-depth case studies to uncover the mechanisms behind selected structural reforms, including the identification of the factors that determined their success or failure, as well as their link to the ESF and the CPR regulation.
- Consultation activities: 1) an online survey of the national authorities and 2) a policy seminar covering all EU MSs.
- Finalisation and development of a theoretical model.
The study is expected to be finished by December 2024.
