9058009829

23

8. Evaluation of the Programme "Aktion 8000"

Within an International perspective, the programme "Aktion 8000" can hardly claim to be "experimental" in itself. Similar schemes have been introduced in many Europęan countries for some time. Nevertheless, from the point of view of the Austrian labour market administration, the "Aktion 8000" entails the necessity to adjust in an innovative fashion, for several features of this new programme do not go well with established procedures of active labour market measures. Two aspects stand out:    First, the jobs are created in the non-profit sector;

secondly, the jobs are of a transitional naturę (they might be shed the moment financial support runs out),

Drawing on his experience, a seasoned administrator within the Austrian labour market agency would argue that the "non-profit" and "non-permanent" character of the jobs financed through the "Aktion 8000" puts the success of the programme at high risk: First, the programme has to be implemented on a local level, which causes frictions within the federal agency traditionally run in a highly centralized way, Given this tension between the organizational routine and the specific implementation prereąuisites of the programme', the "Aktion 8000" will never really get off the ground, either because take up will be very Iow or because the central bureaucratic machinę will grind to a halt if forced to deal with great local variations of programme administration.