The Impact of Means-Tested Unemployment Benefits on the Joint Employment Decisions of Couples
2013/05/21
研討會日期 : 2013-05-21
時間 : 14:30
主講人 : Professor Min-Qiang Zhao
地點 : Conference Room B110
演講者簡介 : Min-Qiang Zhao received his Ph.D. in Economics from The Ohio State University in 2010. He is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics at Xiamen University. His research fields are environmental economics, and macro and micro labor economics.
演講摘要 : This paper examines how means-tested unemployment benefits affect joint employment decisions of couples. Empirical evidence suggests that the net unemployment benefit replacement-rate gap is related to the employment-rate gap between women with employed and unemployed husbands. A joint search model is used to understand these patterns. I find that means-tested unemployment benefits can generate negative work incentives for those with unemployed spouses but positive work incentives for those with employed spouses. I then quantitatively examine how these incentives contribute to the changes in the proportions of workless and dual-earner couples, employment rates, and government spending on unemployment benefits.
