The European agenda on improving the efficiency of employment and social policies: Bratislava, December 2011 The example of social experimentation

Improving the efficiency of employment and social policies Need for data: –On the situation –On the effectiveness of policies In particular on complex issues, like Roma inclusion –Different policy areas –Different actors and policy levels –Politically sensitive issues At EU level, need for exchange of experiences, based on robust evidence

3 What is social experimentation? Test the impact of a new policy / a new measure on a small scale with a view to up-scale it if its effectiveness has been demonstrated Gives information on: –Effectiveness of the policy –How to implement it National reform TEST

What is social experimentation? Different evaluation methods Social experimentation: 4 Test group Control group comparison Highly robust information about the measure and the context

The EU’s support to social experimentation Financial support –PROGRESS –European Social Fund Commission’s proposal of October 2011: reinforce support after 2014 Capacity building –Trainings –Handbooks… 5

6 Financial support ESF MFF PROGRESS EU Programme for Social Change and Innovation SISE €5,9B €9,5M €100M tbc

Financial support PSCI, article 15: “Provide policy-makers with financial support to test social and labour market policy reforms, build up the main actors’ capacity to design and implement social experimentation…”. ESF, article 9 and 11: “The ESF shall promote social innovation within all areas falling under the scope of the ESF…, in particular with the aim of testing and scaling up innovative solutions to address social needs… …The co-financing rate shall be increased by 10 percentage points” 7

8 Capacity building Capacity building EU research network on SE J-Pal Guide on SE for policy makers Training for public authorities … ESF learning Network?

9 For more information Available online: A methodological guide to social experimentation 10 examples of social experiment in 15 Member States

10 Current call for proposal on social experimentation: – d=331&furtherCalls=yeshttp://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=630&langId=en&callI d=331&furtherCalls=yes Multiannual financial framework : –Cohesion Policy Id=1092&furtherNews=yes –New EU Programme for Social Change and Innovation Id=1093&furtherNews=yes For more information

11 Contact European Commission DG EMPL Unit D4 – Social innovation

Annexes Social innovation and social experimentation within EU2020 –The Wroclaw Conference The case for social experimentation The Commission’s proposal for the new funding period –ESF –Cohesion policy –The European Programme for social change and innovation 12

13 Social innovation and social experimentation within EU2020 The Europe 2020 Strategy –Union’s success in delivering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth largely depends on its ability to innovate across all fronts. The Innovation Union –promotes innovation throughout the whole policy spectrum. The European Platform against poverty and social exclusion –focuses on reforms of social policies through evidence-based social innovation including social experimentation

14 The Wrocław conference (26 Sept. 2011) An EU ministerial conference of the Polish Presidency, held in Wrocław (Poland) on 26 September 2011, discussed responses to the social impact of the crisis and how to intensify the support to innovation within social policies. 10 social experiments implemented in 15 Member States were presented by their practitioners and evaluators. These projects cover the fields of education, employment, homelessness, minimum income benefit and youth policy.

15 The case for social experimentation find the best price-efficiency ratio take into account the behaviour of individuals, which can never be fully anticipated adapt the device to the growing complexities of every society adapt every measure to the different target groups or sub groups adapt the device to different countries while taking into account the specificities of each context to identify obstacles that the device could encounter, which cannot be identified in advance compare the efficiency of different strategies simultaneously end the controversies by providing empirical arguments enrich the common knowledge of a certain field, through an enhanced cooperation of both the project managers and the researchers

16 The impact assessment accompanying the proposal for the ESF regulation To be cost-effective, reforms also need to be as far as possible based on evidence. In this context, social experimentation, as part of an innovation approach, can be a powerful tool to guide the reforms and policy adaptations needed to implement Europe The ESF could help mainstreaming results of the PROGRESS projects, for example, by drawing lessons from social experimentation projects and supporting replication of this approach in the Member States.

17 The proposal for the ESF regulation (1/2) Recital 12 Support for social innovation is crucial for making policies more responsive to social change and to encourage and support innovative social enterprises. In particular, testing and evaluating innovative solutions before scaling them up is instrumental in improving the efficiency of the policies and thus justifies specific support from the ESF. Article 9 - Social innovation 1. The ESF shall promote social innovation within all areas falling under the scope of the ESF, as defined in Article 3 of this Regulation, in particular with the aim of testing and scaling up innovative solutions to address social needs. 2. Member States shall identify themes for social innovation, corresponding to their specific needs in their operational programmes. 3. The Commission shall facilitate capacity building for social innovation, in particular through supporting mutual learning, establishing networks, and disseminating good practices and methodologies.

18 The proposal for the ESF regulation (2/2) Article 11 –The co-financing rate shall be increased by 10 percentage points if the whole of the priority axis is dedicated to social innovation or to transnational cooperation, or a combination of both –For each priority axis, operational programmes shall describe how they contribute to social innovation, and which allocation of money is made

19 The general regulation for the CSF funds Article 9 - Thematic objectives Each CSF Fund shall support the following thematic objectives in accordance with its mission in order to contribute to the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth: (1) strengthening research, technological development and innovation Article Implementation reports for the Investment for growth and jobs goal The annual implementation reports submitted in 2017 and 2019 shall set out and assess (…): (h) progress in the implementation of actions in the field of social innovation, where appropriate (…)

20 The Programme for Innovation and Social Change Article 4 – General objectives (b) Support the development of adequate, accessible and efficient social protection systems and labour markets and facilitate policy reform, by promoting good governance, mutual learning and social innovation Article 15 – Specific objectives (Progress axis) (c) Provide policy-makers with financial support to test social and labour market policy reforms, build up the main actors’ capacity to design and implement social experimentation, and make the relevant knowledge and expertise accessible Article 5 – Budget 958 million€ - 60% to the Progress axis, “of which at least 17% shall be allocated to promoting social experimentation as a method for testing and evaluating innovative solutions with a view to scaling them up”. = almost 100 million€