Optimal Unemployment Insurance in Search Equilibrium
Uppsala Univ. Dept. of Economics WP 1998:2
34 Pages Posted: 25 Mar 1998
There are 2 versions of this paper
Optimal Unemployment Insurance in Search Equilibrium
Optimal Unemployment Insurance in Search Equilibrium
Date Written: January 19, 1998
Abstract
Should unemployment compensation be paid indefinitely at a fixed rate, or should it decline (or increase) over a worker's unemployment spell? We examine these issues using an equilibrium model of search unemployment. The model features worker-firm bargaining over wages, free entry of new jobs, and endogenous search effort among the unemployed. The main result is that an optimal insurance program implies a declining sequence of unemployment compensation over the spell of unemployment. Numerical calibrations of the model suggest that there are non-trivial welfare gains associated with switching from an optimal uniform benefit structure to an optimally differentiated system.
JEL Classification: J64, J65, H21, D8
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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