At its 23rd meeting held in Vienna in September 1989, the General Assembly of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) decided to include a study on ?New Forms of Activity for the Unemployed and Measures to Assist the Creation of Self-Employment: Experiences and Opportunities in Combating Unemployment? in the program of activities of the Permanent Committee on Unemployment Insurance and Employment Maintenance for the period 1990-1992. The aim of the study is to examine the variety of provisions available in different countries to combat unemployment by encouraging the unemployed to take part in local initiatives designed to create employment on the basis of self-help and for individual unemployed people to create their own opportunities by becoming self employed. This study analyzes the provisions of programs which encourage the unemployed to become self-employed, to set up new enterprises, or take over existing businesses. This study examines the variety of these approaches taken in the industrial countries which, in effect, shift the emphasis from the income maintenance feature of the unemployment insurance and assistance programs to the capitalization of the available resources for the encouragement of the development of self-employment and job creation. Where information is available, this study covers the following areas: the background and origins of the self-employment schemes; their structure, including the target populations; eligibility provisions; access to capital and credit; training and counseling; monitoring and ongoing support; output measures for the schemes; as well as any available information on evaluations of schemes. This report is based on information submitted by monographs by some of the countries and secondary source material form recently completed relevant studies. Countries covered include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. The report is based on information submitted by nine countries in monographs and secondary source material and five based solely on secondary source material. If not referenced, the source of the information is the national monograph.