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On the Provision of Unemployment Insurance when Workers are Ex-Ante Heterogeneous

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  • Ofer Setty
  • Yaniv Yedid-Levi

Abstract

Labor market outcomes demonstrate considerable variation between and within skill groups. We construct a general equilibrium model with incomplete markets and exogenous differences that matches these facts. We study the role of exogenous heterogeneity in choosing the optimal replacement rate and the maximum benefit for an unemployment insurance (UI) system. The optimal average replacement rate is 27%, compared to 0% in a model without exogenous heterogeneity. The relatively generous choice is due to the redistributive role of UI, which is a manifestation of two elements. First, workers who are unemployed more often receive positive net transfers from the UI system because they draw resources more frequently. Second, the existence of a cap on benefits makes UI progressive. Our main result holds in the presence of a generous progressive taxation system.

Suggested Citation

  • Ofer Setty & Yaniv Yedid-Levi, 2021. "On the Provision of Unemployment Insurance when Workers are Ex-Ante Heterogeneous," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 19(1), pages 664-706.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jeurec:v:19:y:2021:i:1:p:664-706.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeea/jvaa015
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    Cited by:

    1. Luca Flabbi & Mauricio Tejada, 2022. "Working and Saving Informally: The Link between Labor Market Informality and Financial Exclusion," CHILD Working Papers Series 105 JEL Classification: J, Centre for Household, Income, Labour and Demographic Economics (CHILD) - CCA.
    2. Rauh, Christopher & Rodrigues dos Santos, Marcelo, 2022. "How do transfers and universal basic income impact the labor market and inequality?," CEPR Discussion Papers 16993, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Guanyi Yang & Srinivasan Murali, 2024. "Macroeconomics of Racial Disparities: Discrimination, Labor Market, and Wealth," Papers 2412.00615, arXiv.org, revised May 2025.
    4. Ferey, Antoine, 2022. "Redistribution and Unemployment Insurance," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 345, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    5. Tomaz Cajner & İlhan Güner & Toshihiko Mukoyama, 2025. "Gross Worker Flows over the Life Cycle," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 57(4), pages 757-791, June.
    6. Alessandra Pizzo, 2023. "The welfare effects of tax progressivity with frictional labor markets," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 49, pages 123-146, July.
    7. Merkl, Christian & van Rens, Thijs, 2019. "Selective hiring and welfare analysis in labor market models," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 117-130.
    8. Tomer Ifergane, 2025. "Time to Say Goodbye: The Macroeconomic Implications of Termination Notice," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 17(4), pages 262-311, October.
    9. Mukoyama, Toshihiko, 2023. "In defense of the Kaldor-Hicks criterion," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    10. Javier López Segovia, 2023. "Consumption Commitments and Unemployment Insurance," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2023_458, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.

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