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Designing unemployment benefits in developing countries

Author

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  • David A. Robalino

    (World Bank, USA, and IZA, Germany)

Abstract

In reforming unemployment benefit systems, the policy debate should be on the appropriate level of benefits, the subsidies needed for people who cannot contribute enough, and how to finance the subsidies, rather than on whether unemployment insurance or individual unemployment savings accounts are better. Unemployment insurance finances subsidies through implicit taxes on savings, while individual savings accounts with solidarity funds finance subsidies through payroll taxes. Taxes on certain consumption goods and real estate could be considered as well and could be less distortionary.

Suggested Citation

  • David A. Robalino, 2014. "Designing unemployment benefits in developing countries," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 1-15, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izawol:journl:y:2014:n:15
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brown, Alessio J.G. & Orszag, J. Michael & Snower, Dennis J., 2008. "Unemployment accounts and employment incentives," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 587-604, September.
    2. Helena Ribe & David A. Robalino & Ian Walker, 2012. "From Right to Reality : Incentives, Labor Markets, and the Challenge of Universal Social Protection in Latin America and the Caribbean [De los derechos a la realidad : incentivos, mercados de traba," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6008, December.
    3. Robalino, David & Vodopivec, Milan & Bodor, Andras, 2009. "Savings for unemployment in good or bad times : options for developing countries," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 50320, The World Bank.
    4. Raj Chetty, 2008. "Moral Hazard vs. Liquidity and Optimal Unemployment Insurance," NBER Working Papers 13967, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Lalive, Rafael, 2008. "How do extended benefits affect unemployment duration A regression discontinuity approach," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 785-806, February.
    6. Raj Chetty, 2008. "Erratum: Moral Hazard versus Liquidity and Optimal Unemployment Insurance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 116(6), pages 1197-1197, December.
    7. Konstantinos Tatsiramos, 2009. "Unemployment Insurance in Europe: Unemployment Duration and Subsequent Employment Stability," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 7(6), pages 1225-1260, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Romain Duval & Prakash Loungani, 2021. "Designing Labor Market Institutions in Emerging Market and Developing Economies: A Review of Evidence and IMF Policy Advice," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 63(1), pages 31-83, March.
    2. World Bank, 2015. "Promoting Labor Market Participation and Social Inclusion in Europe and Central Asia's Poorest Countries," World Bank Publications - Reports 22501, The World Bank Group.
    3. Kirsten Sehnbruch & Rafael Carranza Navarrete & Dante Contreras Guajardo, 2022. "Unemployment Insurance in Transition and Developing Countries: Moral Hazard vs. Liquidity Constraints in Chile," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(10), pages 2089-2109, October.
    4. Eichhorst, Werner & Kalleberg, Arne & Portela de Souza, André & Visser, Jelle, 2019. "Designing Good Labour Market Institutions: How to Reconcile Flexibility, Productivity and Security?," IZA Discussion Papers 12482, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. John Carter, 2016. "Strengthening the capacities of Asia and the Pacific to protect workers against unemployment," MPDD Working Paper Series WP/16/01, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
    6. Sehnbruch, Kirsten & Carranza, Rafael & Contreras, Dante, 2020. "Unemployment insurance in Chile: lessons from a high inequality developing country," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 107824, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    unemployment benefits; risk-pooling; savings accounts; labor market;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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