Spending and Job-Finding Impacts of Expanded Unemployment Benefits: Evidence from Administrative Micro Data
Ganong, Peter
Spending and Job-Finding Impacts of Expanded Unemployment Benefits: Evidence from Administrative Micro Data - American Economic Review 2024 - 2898-2939
We show that the largest increase in unemployment benefits in US history had large spending impacts and small job-finding impacts. This finding has three implications. First, increased benefits were important for explaining aggregate spending dynamics-but not employment dynamics-during the pandemic. Second, benefit expansions allow us to study the MPC of normally low-liquidity households in a high-liquidity state. These households still have high MPCs. This suggests a role for permanent behavioral characteristics, rather than just current liquidity, in driving spending behavior. Third, the mechanisms driving our results imply that temporary benefit supplements are a promising countercyclical tool.
0002-8282
Aggregate Human Capital
Aggregate Labor Productivity
Macro-Based Behavioral Economics
Severance Pay
Unemployment
Macroeconomics
Spending and Job-Finding Impacts of Expanded Unemployment Benefits: Evidence from Administrative Micro Data - American Economic Review 2024 - 2898-2939
We show that the largest increase in unemployment benefits in US history had large spending impacts and small job-finding impacts. This finding has three implications. First, increased benefits were important for explaining aggregate spending dynamics-but not employment dynamics-during the pandemic. Second, benefit expansions allow us to study the MPC of normally low-liquidity households in a high-liquidity state. These households still have high MPCs. This suggests a role for permanent behavioral characteristics, rather than just current liquidity, in driving spending behavior. Third, the mechanisms driving our results imply that temporary benefit supplements are a promising countercyclical tool.
0002-8282
Aggregate Human Capital
Aggregate Labor Productivity
Macro-Based Behavioral Economics
Severance Pay
Unemployment
Macroeconomics