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Thumbscrews for Agencies or for Individuals? How to Reduce Unemployment

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  • Launov, Andrey

    (University of Kent)

  • Wälde, Klaus

    (University of Mainz)

Abstract

To which extent does an increase in operating effectiveness of public employment agencies on the one hand and a reduction of unemployment benefits on the other reduce unemployment? Using the recent labour market reform in Germany as background we find that the role of unemployment benefit reduction for the reduction of unemployment is very modest (7% of the observed decline). Enhanced effectiveness of public employment agencies, to the contrary, explains a substantial part (34%) of the observed post-reform unemployment decline. If disincentive effects of PEA reforms had been avoided, the effect could have increased to 51%.

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  • Launov, Andrey & Wälde, Klaus, 2013. "Thumbscrews for Agencies or for Individuals? How to Reduce Unemployment," IZA Discussion Papers 7659, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7659
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    2. Gadatsch, Niklas & Stähler, Nikolai & Weigert, Benjamin, 2016. "German labor market and fiscal reforms 1999–2008: Can they be blamed for intra-euro area imbalances?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 307-324.
    3. Anja Bauer & Ian King, 2015. "The Hartz Reforms, the German Miracle, and the Reallocation Puzzle," Discussion Papers Series 550, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    4. Bauer, Anja & King, Ian, 2018. "The Hartz reforms, the German Miracle, and labor reallocation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 1-17.
    5. Luke Haywood, 2014. "Bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen: eine ökonomische Perspektive," DIW Roundup: Politik im Fokus 33, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    structural model; employment agencies; unemployment benefits; labour market reform; unemployment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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