Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse Search for Interventions that Support Employment
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2021
Background
The Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse identifies interventions that aim to improve employment outcomes, reduce employment challenges, and support self-sufficiency for people with low incomes. To date, the Pathways Clearinghouse has reviewed evidence on more than 220 employment and training interventions. This Call for Papers is part of an effort to comprehensively identify research to expand the scope of studies that the Pathways Clearinghouse reviews. In particular, the Pathways Clearinghouse seeks research on the impacts of interventions that support employment through strategies other than employment services and training, such as general education programs, mental health services, supported housing, and two-generation programs. We are especially interested in identifying unpublished manuscripts (past or recent), conference papers, and forthcoming articles that are not included in existing research syntheses or databases. Please feel free to forward this call to other researchers, practitioners, or organizations that may have relevant studies.
Purpose
People who run programs for job seekers with low incomes need evidence on the interventions and strategies that can help their clients succeed in the labor market. Others need this evidence, too – including those making decisions on how to best allocate public resources and those seeking to expand the existing knowledge base.
To provide reliable, accessible information about what works to help job seekers find and keep gainful employment, the Office of Planning, Research, & Evaluation at the Administration for Children & Families launched the Pathways Clearinghouse. The Pathways Clearinghouse team comprehensively searches for and identifies research on relevant programs and strategies and systematically evaluates and summarizes the evidence of their effectiveness.
Eligibility
Papers submitted in response to this call should:
- Examine the effectiveness of an intervention aiming to directly or indirectly improve employment or earnings for workers with low incomes.
- Examples of employment-related outcomes include but are not limited to: becoming employed, being employed, maintaining employment, occupational advancement, employment with benefits, income, earnings, education, receipt of training, and public assistance receipt.
- Examples of interventions aiming to directly improve employment or earnings include job-search assistance programs, general education programs, training programs, housing assistance, mental health counseling, and child care services, among others.
- Use quantitative methods (including experimental and quasi-experimental methods) to examine the effects of an intervention on outcomes related to employment and earnings.
- Examine an intervention serving individuals ages 16 and older.
- Have been prepared or published in 1990 or later.
- Examine a strategy or program conducted in the United States or Canada.
If studies of the intervention’s implementation are available that accompany the effectiveness study, call respondents are invited to submit those as well. Standalone implementation studies of an intervention for which no effectiveness study is available will not be included in the review.
Submission instructions
Submissions should include the following:
- The study in MS Word or PDF format. Please include papers even if available online—for example, those on university or program web sites.
- A cover e-mail noting contact information for the lead or corresponding author.
Submissions will be added to the Pathways Clearinghouse’s database of studies. The Clearinghouse will screen all studies for relevance and will review all eligible studies. Files may be sent to: PathwaysClearinghouse@mathematica-mpr.com. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2021. Respondents will be notified that we received their submission, but the notice will not indicate whether the paper might be included in the Pathways Clearinghouse database or the results of the review.