1. Ex-Post Evaluation (2000-2006)
Social Inclusion
Equal Opportunities
Evaluation Partnership Meeting
Sevilla, 16 March 2010
Jeannette Monier – Unit 03 Evaluation and Impact Assessment,
DG EMPL

2. Financial weight of social inclusion and equal opportunities
ESF devoted 8,763 M€ (14% of ESF expenditure claimed) explicitly to social inclusion
EQUAL amounted to 2,717 €

3. Key findings – Purpose of SI
SI mainly used to facilitate access to employment and to provide training to disadvantaged groups
Access to employment
Training
but also contributing to wider OMC objective of fighting against poverty

4. Key findings – Change over time
Focus on social inclusion in the framework of active labour policies increased…
…since the 2004 mid-term review of programmes

5. Key findings – Type of intervention
SI mainly consists of assistance to persons, but proper balance with assistance to systems and structures more effective
Assistance to persons
Support to structures and systems
A balance is more effective
►ESF recognised as financial instrument able to cope with the multidimensionality of social inclusion
-notably through its ability to implement complex projects (even more so in the case of EQUAL)

6. Key findings – Target groups
SI interventions reaching results for young people and long term unemployed
Mainly: young unemployed people and long-term unemployed persons
Less: disadvantaged women, socially disadvantaged persons and/or with low educational attainments and people with disabilities
Not very effective for other categories

7. Key findings – Stakeholders
Uneven involvement of stakeholders in social inclusion
Different level of involvement during programming and implementation

8. Key findings – Indicators
Indicators in SI are slowly aligning with the social OMC system
Different indicators
Difficult to align

9. Key findings – Impact
SI brings disadvantaged persons closer to the labour market and empowers them
At macro-level no significant impact
At meso-level, some impact
At final recipient level, evidence of “soft” results

10. Key findings – related areas
Other Areas complement SI interventions
ESF provides some support to other two strands of the social OMC
Social Protection: longer working lives and active ageing
Health and Long-Term Care: training in health/LTC and to support the reform of health systems

11. Recommendations proposed
Maintain appropriate consideration of SI within the ESF
Further improve the governance of the ESF
Change the regulatory framework of the ESF and the policy framework of the social OMC

12. Recommendations proposed
Improve the monitoring system
More and better transnational learning and sharing

13. Recommendations proposed
More emphasis and guidance on social innovation
More emphasis and guidance on mainstreaming