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Front-Loading the Unemployment Benefit: An Empirical Assessment

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  • Attila Lindner
  • Balázs Reizer

Abstract

We estimate the effect of front-loading unemployment benefit payments on nonemployment duration and reemployment wages. Exploiting a sharp change in the path of benefits for those who claimed unemployment benefits after November 1, 2005 in Hungary, we show that nonemployment duration fell by two weeks, while reemployment wages rose by 1.4 percent as a result of front-loading. We show that these behavioral responses were large enough to offset the mechanical cost increase of the unemployment insurance. We argue that our results indicate that benefit front-loading was a Pareto improving policy reform as both unemployed and employed workers were made better off.

Suggested Citation

  • Attila Lindner & Balázs Reizer, 2020. "Front-Loading the Unemployment Benefit: An Empirical Assessment," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 140-174, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:12:y:2020:i:3:p:140-74
    DOI: 10.1257/app.20180138
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    16. Stefano DellaVigna & Attila Lindner & Balázs Reizer & Johannes F. Schmieder, 2017. "Reference-Dependent Job Search: Evidence from Hungary," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 132(4), pages 1969-2018.
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    Cited by:

    1. 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).
    2. Árpád Ábrahám & João Brogueira de Sousa & Ramon Marimon & Lukas Mayr, 2022. "On the design of a european unemployment insurance system," Economics Working Papers 1826, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    3. Gerard Domènech-Arumí & Silvia Vannutelli, 2022. "Bringing Them In or Pushing Them Out? The Labor Market Effects of Pro-cyclical Unemployment Assistance Changes," Working Papers ECARES 2022-24, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    4. Peter Ganong & Pascal Noel, 2019. "Consumer Spending during Unemployment: Positive and Normative Implications," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(7), pages 2383-2424, July.
    5. Andrew C. Johnston & Alexandre Mas, 2018. "Potential Unemployment Insurance Duration and Labor Supply: The Individual and Market-Level Response to a Benefit Cut," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 126(6), pages 2480-2522.
    6. Ábrahám, Árpád & Brogueira de Sousa, João & Marimon, Ramon & Mayr, Lukas, 2023. "On the design of a European Unemployment Insurance System," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    7. Tomi Kyyrä, 2023. "The effects of unemployment assistance on unemployment exits," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(6), pages 1457-1480, December.
    8. Kunze, Astrid & Palczyńska, Marta & Magda, Iga, 2023. "The Employment Effects of a Wage Subsidy for the Young during an Economic Recovery," IZA Discussion Papers 16196, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Ahn, Taehyun, 2018. "Assessing the effects of reemployment bonuses on job search: A regression discontinuity approach," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 82-100.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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