Experimental Design
Given the eligibility criteria for participating in the program (based on the refugees' educational level, time in Sweden and gender), 55 women were identified as being potential participants in the program. The identification of eligible candidates was made by the Public Employment Service in Gothenburg.
Out of the 55 potential participants, 30 individuals were randomly drawn to be offered a place in the program. The randomization was made by the analytical unit at the Swedish Public Employment Service in Stockholm. 28 individuals accepted the offer to start in the new program. The 30 individuals that were selected by the lottery to be given an opportunity to participate in the program are all defined to be in the treatment group. We are hence estimating Intention-to-Treat (ITT) parameters.
The 25 eligible individuals that, by randomization, was selected to not participate in the program constitute the control group. They participate in the traditional programs run by the PES in Gothenburg.
In a first step, we will evaluate the short-run effects of the new program on labor market outcomes. Short-run is here meant to be within two years; we will evaluate the effects at different time points within these two years. We take the start of the program on April 1, 2024 as the starting point for the program and March 31, 2026, as the end point for the short-run evaluation. The outcome variables are measured via the registers held by the PES in Sweden. We will also evaluate the effects on intermediate outcomes such as native language development and adult education in Sweden.