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A Common European Unemployment Insurance – A Much Debated Route toward European Fiscal Union

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The crisis has reignited a debate on deeper fiscal integration in the euro area. The goal is to improve the capability of the currency union to cope with asymmetric shocks. One instrument in this context is the implementation of a European unemployment insurance (EUI) scheme aiming at automatic stabilization of income and aggregate output in countries affected by adverse macroeconomic shocks and rising unemployment. Recently, a number of proposals and estimates of the economic effects of such a scheme have been published. The empirical analyses indicate a non-negligible stabilization effect of an EUI. However, an EUI is likely to face several problems originating, among other things, from structural differences in labor markets and potential moral hazard by Member States. An EUI therefore does not appear to be the most appropriate approach to increasing common risk sharing.

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  • Christian Beer & Walpurga Köhler-Töglhofer & Alfred Stiglbauer, 2014. "A Common European Unemployment Insurance – A Much Debated Route toward European Fiscal Union," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 4, pages 35-52.
    • Handle: RePEc:onb:oenbmp:y:2014:i:4:b:2
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    Cited by:

    1. Doris Prammer & Lukas Reiss, 2018. "How to increase fiscal stabilization at the euro area level?," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q2/18, pages 111-131.
    2. Christian Beer & Walter Waschiczek, 2018. "Capital markets union: a more diverse financial landscape in the EU?," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q2/18, pages 71-86.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Automatic stabilization; unemployment insurance; monetary union; fiscal union;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E63 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Comparative or Joint Analysis of Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Stabilization; Treasury Policy
    • F45 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Macroeconomic Issues of Monetary Unions
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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