Activation Policies for the Poor in OIC Member States
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Employer involvement can improve the design of activation programmes.
Another common theme found by the study was the need to involve stakeholders, particularly
employers, in the design of activation programmes. Employers can provide valuable insight into
what would make individuals employable. Furthermore, involvement in the design of activation
measures can encourage employers to support their implementation. There are different ways that
employer engagement can be achieved. For example, when designing skills training measures, an
organisation such as a Skills Development Authority could be responsible for engaging with
employers. Employer surveys are also useful tools to identify the skills needs in the labour market.
The status of vocational skills training could be raised, whilst ensuring the delivery of training
matches employers’ needs.
Across the case studies of this report, vocational skills training was identified as being undervalued
by Member States’ populations. In many Member States, skills gaps and strategies are in place to
raise the status of vocational skills. Efforts in this area should continue across income groupings. For
example, the quality of the training available could be improved where needed. More value could
also be placed on vocational skills if regulations were in place in industries requiring workers to
have vocational skills training. Although activation measures are not traditionally targeted at
children, in the context of skills training more information and career guidance could be delivered in
schools to encourage students to develop the skills required by employers.
Improved targeting of activation measures can increase their efficacy for alleviating poverty.
Several case studies found that some Member States do not directly target activation at the poor.
Instead, they target individuals with other characteristics, such as rural youth, which make them
more likely to be poor. This strategy was reported as being relatively effective in providing support
to those who need it most. In some instances, however, activation programmes are only operational
in regions which do not have the highest poverty rates. If the aim of activation programmes is to
alleviate poverty, it could therefore be more effective to ensure implementation is prioritised in
regions most in need of support. In high income countries, activation measures may not be targeted
at the poor because poverty is not recognised as a salient issue, meaning there does not appear to be
a need for this type of targeting. Improving the availability of data on poverty rates in these
countries could support an assessment on whether measures should be targeted at the poor.
Programme sustainability can affect impact.
To ensure successful programmes can continue to provide support in the longer term, their
sustainability should be taken into consideration during programme design. This recommendation is
particularly applicable to low income and lower-middle income Member States, where lack of
funding in particular can affect programme implementation.
Programmes should contain an element of continuous improvement.
Factored into programme design, timely reviews of performance against targets can support the
identification of unintended consequences and measures to address them. This would require the
capacity to collect data to be built into programme design. The frequency of reviews would also need
consideration. Reviews should not be so frequent that they draw a disproportionate amount from
project funding though regularity can allow for quicker identification of unintended consequences
and issues.