The contributions in this volume, by leading economists from major universities in Europe and USA, cover research at the front line of econometric analysis and labour market applications. The volume includes several papers on equilibrium search models (a relatively new field), and job matching, both seen from a theoretical and from an applied point of view. Methods on and empirical analyses of unemployment durations are also discussed. Finally, a large group of papers examine the structure and the dynamics of the labour market in a number of countries using panel data. This group includes papers on data quality and policy evaluation. The high unemployment in most countries makes it necessary to come up with studies and methods for analysing the impact of different elements of economic policies. This volume is intended to contribute to further development in the use of panel data in economic analyses.
