The Unemployment Gap: Results, New Questions, and Policy Implications

This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data

The Unemployment Gap: Results, New Questions, and Policy Implications

Author Info

John F. Helliwell

Abstract

The unemployment rate gap between Canada and the United States poses not one puzzle but two: why the gap arose in the 1980s, and then why it persisted and grew in the 1990s? With respect to the 1980s, the evidence marshalled by Riddell and others showed that employment grew at similar rates in Canada and the United States, while labour force participation grew much faster in Canada. The unemployment insurance system was given a key role in explaining this difference. In the 1990s, the unemployment insurance systems have become more similar, and the Canadian participation rate has fallen. But the unemployment gap has grown rather than shrunk, requiring a new set of explanations. Cyclical differences have a role to play here, but are not likely to be large enough to do the trick. The growing difference in unionization rates may also have a role to play. The 1990s gap remains a puzzle.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.

Publisher Info
Article provided by University of Toronto Press in its journal Canadian Public Policy.

Volume (Year): 24 (1998)
Issue (Month): s1 (February)
Pages: 264-270
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:cpp:issued:v:24:y:1998:i:s1:p:264-270

Contact details of provider:
Postal: University of Toronto Press Journals Division 5201 Dufferin Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3H 5T8
Email:
Web page: http://economics.ca/cpp/

Order Information:
Email:
Web: http://www.utpjournals.com/cpp/

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Prof. Werner Antweiler).

Related research
Keywords:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

David Card & Richard B. Freeman, 1993. "Small Differences That Matter: Labor Markets and Income Maintenance in Canada and the United States," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number card93-1.
Lawrence H. Summers, 1986. "Why is the Unemployment Rate So Very High near Full Employment," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 17(1986-2), pages 339-396. [Downloadable!]
David Card & W. Craig Riddell, 1993. "A Comparative Analysis of Unemployment in Canada and the United States," NBER Chapters, in: Small Differences That Matter: Labor Markets and Income Maintenance in Canada and the United States, pages 149-190 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
Other versions:
- David Card, 1992. "A Comparative Analysis of Unemployment in Canada and the United States," Working Papers 677, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section.. [Downloadable!]

Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS also indexes software components.

This page was last updated on 2009-12-9.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.