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Federal Unemployment Reinsurance and Local Labor-Market Policies

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  • Ignaszak, Marek

    (Goethe University Frankfurt)

  • Jung, Philip

    (TU Dortmund)

  • Kuester, Keith

    (University of Bonn)

Abstract

Consider a union of atomistic member states, each faced with idiosyncratic business-cycle shocks. Private cross-border risk-sharing is limited, giving a role to a federal unemployment-based transfer scheme. Member states control local labor-market policies, giving rise to a trade-off between moral hazard and insurance. Calibrating the economy to a stylized European Monetary Union, we find notable welfare gains if the federal scheme's payouts take the member states' past unemployment level as a reference point. Member states' control over policies other than unemployment benefits can limit generosity during the transition phase.

Suggested Citation

  • Ignaszak, Marek & Jung, Philip & Kuester, Keith, 2020. "Federal Unemployment Reinsurance and Local Labor-Market Policies," IZA Discussion Papers 13886, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13886
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Kohler, Wilhelm & Müller, Gernot J. & Wellmann, Susanne, 2023. "Risk sharing in currency unions: The migration channel," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    unemployment reinsurance; labor-market policy; fiscal federalism; search and matching;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory

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