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Unemployment Insurance as a Subsidy to Risky Firms

Author

Listed:
  • Bernardus Van Doornik
  • Dimas Fazio
  • David Schoenherr
  • Janis Skrastins

Abstract

We document that a more generous unemployment insurance (UI) system shifts labor supply from safer to riskier firms and reduces the compensating wage differentials that risky firms need to pay. Consequently, a more generous UI system increases risky firms’ value and fosters entrepreneurship by reducing new firms’ labor costs. Exploiting a UI reform in Brazil that affects only part of the workforce allows us to compare labor supply for workers with different degrees of UI protection within the same firm, sharpening the identification of the results. Altogether, our results suggest that UI provides a transfer system from safe to risky firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Bernardus Van Doornik & Dimas Fazio & David Schoenherr & Janis Skrastins, 2022. "Unemployment Insurance as a Subsidy to Risky Firms," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 35(12), pages 5535-5595.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:rfinst:v:35:y:2022:i:12:p:5535-5595.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rfs/hhac013
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    Cited by:

    1. Yoshida, Valter T. & Schiozer, Rafael & de Genaro, Alan & dos Santos, Toni R.E., 2025. "A novel credit model risk measure: Do more data lead to lower model risk?," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    2. Pagano, Marco & Picariello, Luca, 2023. "Talent discovery, layoff risk and unemployment insurance," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    3. Martins, Theo Cotrim & Schiozer, Rafael & Linardi, Fernando de Menezes, 2023. "The information content from lending relationships across the supply chain," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    4. Alzate,David & Eliana Carranza & Duran-Franch,Joana & Truman G. Packard & Celina Proffen, 2024. "How Regulations Impact the Labor Market : A Review of the Literatures on Product and Labor Market Regulations," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10961, The World Bank.
    5. Guo, Audrey & Johnston, Andrew C., 2020. "The Finance of Unemployment Compensation and its Consequence for the Labor Market," IZA Discussion Papers 13330, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Valter T. Yoshida Jr & Alan de Genaro & Rafael Schiozer & Toni R. E. dos Santos, 2023. "A Novel Credit Model Risk Measure: does more data lead to lower model risk in credit scoring models?," Working Papers Series 582, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department.
    7. Loncan, Tiago, 2025. "Can employee welfare policies insure workers against fluctuations in employment?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J46 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Informal Labor Market
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings
    • K31 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Labor Law

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