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Micro and Macro Effects of UI Policies: Evidence from Missouri

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Listed:
  • Karahan, Fatih
  • Mitman, Kurt
  • Moore, Brendan

Abstract

We develop a method to jointly measure the response of worker search effort (micro effect) and vacancy creation (macro effect) to changes in the duration of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. To implement this approach, we exploit an unexpected cut in UI durations in Missouri and provide quasi-experimental evidence on the effect of UI on the labor market. The data indicate that the cut in Missouri significantly increased job finding rates by both raising the search effort of unemployed workers and the availability of jobs. The latter accounts for at least one half of the total effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Karahan, Fatih & Mitman, Kurt & Moore, Brendan, 2022. "Micro and Macro Effects of UI Policies: Evidence from Missouri," CEPR Discussion Papers 14158, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:14158
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    Cited by:

    1. Hochmuth, Brigitte & Kohlbrecher, Britta & Merkl, Christian & Gartner, Hermann, 2021. "Hartz IV and the decline of German unemployment: A macroeconomic evaluation," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    2. Kristle R. Cortes & Andrew Glover & Murat Tasci, 2022. "The Unintended Consequences of Employer Credit Check Bans for Labor Markets," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(5), pages 997-1009, December.
    3. Gustavo de Souza & Andre Luduvice, 2022. "Optimal Unemployment Insurance Requirements," Working Paper Series WP 2022-45, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    4. Mitman, Kurt & Rabinovich, Stanislav, 2021. "Whether, when and how to extend unemployment benefits: Theory and application to COVID-19," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Unemployment insurance; Unemployment; Vacancies; Search;
    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
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • 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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