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Positive Externalities of Social Insurance: Unemployment Insurance and Consumer Credit

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Listed:
  • Joanne W. Hsu
  • David A. Matsa
  • Brian T. Melzer

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of unemployment insurance (UI) on consumer credit markets. Exploiting heterogeneity in UI generosity across U.S. states and over time, we find that UI helps the unemployed avoid defaulting on their mortgage debt. We estimate that UI expansions during the Great Recession prevented about 1.4 million foreclosures. Lenders respond to this decline in default risk by expanding credit access and reducing interest rates for low-income households at risk of being laid off. Our findings call attention to two benefits of unemployment insurance not previously highlighted: reducing deadweight losses from loan default and expanding access to credit.

Suggested Citation

  • Joanne W. Hsu & David A. Matsa & Brian T. Melzer, 2014. "Positive Externalities of Social Insurance: Unemployment Insurance and Consumer Credit," NBER Working Papers 20353, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:20353
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    Cited by:

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    2. Song Han & Benjamin J. Keys & Geng Li, 2015. "Information, Contract Design, and Unsecured Credit Supply: Evidence from Credit Card Mailings," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2015-103, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    3. Camelia M. Kuhnen & Brian T. Melzer, 2018. "Noncognitive Abilities and Financial Delinquency: The Role of Self‐Efficacy in Avoiding Financial Distress," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 73(6), pages 2837-2869, December.
    4. Xu, Kun & Guan, Zhihua & Xu, Wenli, 2015. "省级财政支出效率空间溢出效应研究：基于超效率dea和gsm模型 [Study on Spatial Spillover Effect of Provincial Fiscal Efficiency: Based on Super-Efficient DEA and GSM Model]," MPRA Paper 71132, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Fedaseyeu, Viktar, 2020. "Debt collection agencies and the supply of consumer credit," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(1), pages 193-221.
    6. Schmid, Günther, 2020. "Beyond European unemployment insurance. Less moral hazard, more moral assurance?," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 26(4), pages 465-480.
    7. Sumit Agarwal & Gene Amromin & Souphala Chomsisengphet & Tim Landvoigt & Tomasz Piskorski & Amit Seru & Vincent Yao, 2015. "Mortgage Refinancing, Consumer Spending, and Competition: Evidence from the Home Affordable Refinancing Program," NBER Working Papers 21512, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Lisa J. Dettling & Joanne W. Hsu, 2017. "Minimum Wages and Consumer Credit : Impacts on Access to Credit and Traditional and High-Cost Borrowing," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2017-010, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    9. Alexander C Tsai, 2015. "Home Foreclosure, Health, and Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Individual, Aggregate, and Contextual Associations," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(4), pages 1-21, April.
    10. Philip Du Caju & François Rycx & Ilan Tojerow, 2015. "Unemployment Risk and Over-indebtedness A Micro-econometric Perspective," Working Papers CEB 15-046, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    11. Joanne Lee & Karen Needels & Walter Nicholson, "undated". "A Longitudinal Survey of Unemployment Insurance Recipients in Two Regions in California," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 982c8e2b780e479ea249e7b05, Mathematica Policy Research.
    12. Benjamin J. Keys & Tomasz Piskorski & Amit Seru & Vincent Yao, 2014. "Mortgage Rates, Household Balance Sheets, and the Real Economy," NBER Working Papers 20561, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Ellul, Andrew & WANG, Cong & Zhang, Kuo, 2016. "Labor Unemployment Risk and CEO Incentive Compensation," CEPR Discussion Papers 11634, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Michael Irwin, 2023. "The Impact of Unemployment Insurance and Unsecured Credit on Business Cycles," Staff Working Papers 23-22, Bank of Canada.
    15. J. Carter Braxton & Gordon Phillips & Kyle Herkenhoff, 2018. "Can the Unemployed Borrow? Implications for Public Insurance," 2018 Meeting Papers 564, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    16. María Laura Alzúa & Guillermo Cruces & Carolina Lopez, 2015. "Youth Training Programs Beyond Employment. Experimental Evidence from Argentina," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0177, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    17. Marco Di Maggio & Amir Kermani, 2016. "The Importance of Unemployment Insurance as an Automatic Stabilizer," NBER Working Papers 22625, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. George Overton & Barbara Castillo Rico, 2020. "Monetary Policy and Housing Loan Default," EconomiX Working Papers 2020-23, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    19. Bednarzik, Robert W. & Kern, Andreas & Hisnanick, John J., 2017. "Displacement and Debt: The Role of Debt in Returning to Work in the Period Following the Great Recession," IZA Discussion Papers 10764, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Du Caju, Philip & Rycx, François & Tojerow, Ilan, 2016. "Unemployment risk and over-indebtedness," Working Paper Series 1908, European Central Bank.
    21. Hong Ru & Antoinette Schoar, 2020. "Do credit card companies screen for behavioural biases?," BIS Working Papers 842, Bank for International Settlements.
    22. Shen, Yi, 2022. "Labor unemployment insurance and bank loans," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    23. Günther Schmid, 2020. "Beyond European unemployment insurance. Less moral hazard, more moral assurance?," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 26(4), pages 465-480, November.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • R28 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Government Policy

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