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Business Cycle Dependent Unemployment Insurance

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Author Info

  • Andersen, Torben M

    () (Aarhus University)

  • Svarer, Michael

    () (Aarhus University)

Abstract

The consequences of business cycle contingencies in unemployment insurance systems are considered in a search-matching model allowing for shifts between “good” and “bad” states of nature. We show that not only is there an insurance argument for such contingencies, but there may also be an incentive argument. Since benefits may be less distortionary in a recession than a boom, it follows that counter-cyclical benefits reduce average distortions compared to state independent benefits. We show that optimal (utilitarian) benefits are counter-cyclical and may reduce the structural (average) unemployment rate, although the variability of unemployment may increase.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 5196.

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Length: 39 pages
Date of creation: Sep 2010
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp5196

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Keywords: unemployment benefits; business cycle; insurance; incentives;

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References

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  1. Julián Messina & Chiara Strozzi & Jarkko Turunen, 2008. "Real Wages over the Business Cycle: OECD Evidence from the Time and Frequency Domains," Center for Economic Research (RECent) 028, University of Modena and Reggio E., Dept. of Economics.
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  7. 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.
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RePEc Biblio mentions

As found on the RePEc Biblio, the curated bibliography for Economics:
  1. > Labor Economics > Unemployment Insurance > Optimal Unemployment Insurance
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Cited by:
  1. Landais, Camille & Michaillat, Pascal & Saez, Emmanuel, 2010. "Optimal Unemployment Insurance over the Business Cycle," CEPR Discussion Papers 8132, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  2. Kurt Mitman & Stanislav Rabinovich, 2011. "Pro-cyclical Unemployment Benefits? Optimal Policy in an Equilibrium Business Cycle Model," PIER Working Paper Archive 11-023, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
  3. Kory Kroft & Matthew J. Notowidigdo, 2011. "Should Unemployment Insurance Vary With the Unemployment Rate? Theory and Evidence," NBER Working Papers 17173, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  4. Moyen, Stéphane & Stähler, Nikolai, 2009. "Unemployment insurance and the business cycle: prolong benefit entitlements in bad times?," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2009,30, Deutsche Bundesbank, Research Centre.
  5. Torben Andersen, 2010. "Unemployment Persistence," CESifo Forum, Ifo Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 11(1), pages 23-28, 04.

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