Not surprisingly, the effect lost statistical significance at two years since active intervention lasted only 12 months.

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Charities broadly welcome the new emphasis on early and active intervention but warn that it risks stigmatising the poor.

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This type of passive data collection that is followed by active intervention might be the one-two punch that many people need.

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Active intervention, it appears, really does work.

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He suggests countries like Spain and Ireland should try and ape the so-called active labor market intervention used by Norway, in which the state funds not only unemployment benefits but also training and job searches.

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Ironically, this inevitably entails active and severe state intervention because intellectual property rights, which are monopolies, are dispensed by the state.

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