Long-term unemployment: There is no easy fix

The Great Recession has brought with it a significant increase in the long-term unemployed. This is especially concerning as long-term unemployment has detrimental effects on the individuals involved, affecting mental and physical well-being. Concerns about the consequences of long-term unemployment and existing policy evaluations provide a useful framework to evaluate the strategy proposed by George Osborne to tackle long-term unemployment in the UK, writes Barbara Petrongolo.