Moral Hazard among the Employed: Evidence from Regression Discontinuity /

We exploit policy discontinuities in Poland's unemployment insurance to examine the causal effect of changes to both benefit durations and levels. Using a regression discontinuity approach, we uncover three findings: (1) Higher benefit levels distort employment more than benefit extensions. (2)...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
1. Verfasser:
Jessen, Jonas
Körperschaft:
National Bureau of Economic Research
Weitere Verfasser:
Jessen, Robin, Johnston, Andrew C., Gałecka-Burdziak, Ewa
Format:
Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:
Englisch
Veröffentlicht:
Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2025.
Zusammenfassung:
We exploit policy discontinuities in Poland's unemployment insurance to examine the causal effect of changes to both benefit durations and levels. Using a regression discontinuity approach, we uncover three findings: (1) Higher benefit levels distort employment more than benefit extensions. (2) Benefit durations and levels interact: Longer durations substantially increase the distortionary effect of more generous payments. (3) Higher payments increase the transition of employed workers into unemployment. We develop a model of optimal unemployment insurance that accounts for moral hazard among both employed and unemployed workers. Notably, for level increases, distortionary costs are larger among the employed than unemployed.
Umfang:
1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);
Anmerkungen:
February 2025.
Schlagworte: