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Topic Areas

CLEAR reviews studies in a variety of labor-related topic areas that are determined in collaboration with the Department of Labor (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office and DOL agency staff. Content matter experts for each topic area help develop the review protocols and determine which study types are included in the systematic review.

For the Behavioral Finance: Retirement topic area, CLEAR focuses on interventions grounded in insights from behavioral economics that may encourage employees to save more for retirement.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1996 - 2016.

This topic area focuses on interventions that apply behavioral science insights to labor-related contexts.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1994 - 2016.

CLEAR focuses on studies of Career Academies, a high school intervention model first launched in 1969 that, as of 2013, serves approximately one million students in 7,000 schools nationwide.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1996 - 2012.

The child labor evidence review examines the existing causal evidence on child labor and child work targeted for elimination.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 2006 - 2018.

CLEAR reviews studies that examine the effectiveness of community college policies and programs that are intended to improve academic persistence, degree/certificate completion, and labor market outcomes of community college students.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1994 - 2019.

CLEAR focuses on programs that seek to improve labor market outcomes for youth and working-age adults with disabilities.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1985 - 2022.

CLEAR reviews studies to determine the quality of existing causal evidence on the effectiveness of rules, policies, and enforcement activities aimed at preventing discrimination by employers.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1990 - 2021.

The self-employment and entrepreneurship topic area includes reviews of studies examining the effectiveness of interventions that promote individuals’ entrepreneurship and self- employment.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 2005 - 2014.

This topic area focuses on the effectiveness of interventions designed to help equip adults to plan for and succeed in preparing for retirement and to increase general financial literacy knowledge to improve money management. CLEAR conducted a systematic evidence review on the topic, assessed the quality of the causal evidence, and summarized each study’s approach, findings, and elements of the intervention examined.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 2008 - 2022.

This topic area includes reviews of studies examining the effectiveness of interventions that aim to improve outcomes for youth involved in the justice system.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 2005 - 2015.

This topic area focuses on the effectiveness of literacy interventions for adults, including English-language learners, designed to increase employment and earnings by improving participants’ reading, writing, technological/digital, and financial skills. CLEAR assessed the quality of the causal evidence and summarized its approach, findings, and the intervention examined.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 2000 - 2018.

The low-income adults includes reviews of studies examining the effectiveness of interventions that serve low-income adults with the goal of improving their employment and earnings outcomes.

CLEAR conducted many reviews in this topic area in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Employment Strategies for Low-Income Adults Evidence Review (ESER). For those studies, CLEAR developed the study profiles posted here using information from the ESER review.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1990 – 2021.

CLEAR reviews studies on policies and interventions aimed at reducing or preventing mine worker injury, illness, disability, exposure to hazards, and death.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 2008 - 2019.

CLEAR focuses on employment and training programs and broad federal or state policies that support and/or improve the employment prospects and financial security for workers age 40 and older.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 2005 – 2017.

CLEAR focuses on youth aged 14-24 who have not recently been in school or the labor force. In particular, CLEAR examines the research on interventions designed to provide opportunities for these youth to improve their labor market outcomes.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1992 - 2015.

CLEAR focuses on studies that examine the effectiveness of Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) enforcement activities.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1979 - 2012.

CLEAR focuses on studies that examine interventions designed to promote faster reemployment of unemployment insurance claimants.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1978 - 2018.

CLEAR focuses on employment and training programs that encourage basic skills development, educational attainment, employment, employment retention, and career advancement for individuals returning from incarceration.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 2000 – 2017.

The registered apprenticeship and work-based learning topic area includes reviews of studies examining the effectiveness of work-based training programs on participants’ employment and earnings outcomes.

Status: Literature reviewed in this evidence review covers 2005 – 2023. An updated review protocol has been posted as of June 2024.

The Substance Use Disorders (SUD) topic area includes review of employment related interventions and barriers for persons with substance use disorders. 

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area includes studies published from 2010 through 2022.

CLEAR focuses on employment and training programs that encourage basic skills development, educational attainment, completion of training programs and/or acquisition of certificates or credentials, employment, employment retention, and career advancement for veterans.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1990 – 2017.

CLEAR focuses on studies that examine interventions designed to foster success among women in STEM fields.

Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1994 - 2014.