March 1 -2, 2018: St Petersburg/Russia presented the Second International Labour Forum of the Government of St Petersburg. The forum was organized by the Government of St Petersburg, St Petersburg State University and the ExpoForum-International company and supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation. The Forum aims to become the largest platform in Russia to discuss issues related to the development of human capital based on advanced research and global best practices.
March 1, 2018, Moscow: Russia President Vladimir Putin gave his annual state of the nation address, where he revealed that the country had developed nuclear weapons capable of overcoming traditional defenses. This reacts to Western plans to increase military budgets substantially. On the same day, US President Donald Trump had indicated that the US would begin imposing heavy tariffs on imports. Retaliation from the EU and China is expected. Facing the potential of a new arms race and a trade war, the exchange of people and arguments are even more important than before.
March 1, 2018, St Petersburg: The organizers of the Forum had invited Klaus F. Zimmermann (UNU-MERIT & Maastricht University) to represent the Global Labor Organization (GLO) at this important event. He spoke on “The design of effective labor market policies“. The conference gave an excellent platform for many speakers to discuss the lessons from other countries for efficient policymaking.
From the successful German labor market policies, Zimmermann suggested the following relevant elements:
►Economic difficulties are the friend of effective labor market reforms.
►Economic incentives to take up work matter.
►Program evaluation with counterfactual analysis is key.
►The successful reforms in Germany are a prime example for the power of evidence-based policy making.
References:
- Ulf Rinne & Klaus F. Zimmermann (2012): Another Economic Miracle? The German Labor Market and the Great Recession
IZA Journal of Labor Policy 1, Article 3. (available at www.izajolp.com/content/1/1/3) - Ulf Rinne & Klaus F. Zimmermann (2012): Another Economic Miracle? The German Labor Market and the Great Recession
IZA Journal of Labor Policy 1, Article 3.
(available at www.izajolp.com/content/1/1/3) - Ulf Rinne & Klaus F. Zimmermann (2012):
Another Economic Miracle? The German Labor Market and the Great Recession, IZA Journal of Labor Policy 1, Article 3.
(available at www.izajolp.com/content/1/1/3)
Below: Klaus F. Zimmermann spoke on the Second International Labour Forum of the Government of St. Petersburg
BELOW: OPENING PANEL OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR FORUM. Left: Dmitry Cherneyko, Chairman of Saint-Petersburg Labour and Employment Committee; Right: Andrew Spence, Strategic Workforce Advisor, “Glass Bead Consulting”.
Below: Zimmermann in St Petersburg. He had many interactions with participants, among others with Dmitry Cherneyko, Chairman of Saint-Petersburg Labour and Employment Committee, Andrew Spence, Strategic Workforce Advisor, “Glass Bead Consulting”, and Nikolay Rogachev, Deputy Chairman of Saint-Petersburg Labour and Employment Committee.
Ends;
