LACHLAN MARKAY
January 27, 2014
New academic research released last week showing that extending
unemployment benefits is a net economic drag could strengthen the
conservative case against extending those benefits at the federal level.
Congress allowed benefits for the long-term unemployed to expire at
the end of 2013 as part of a larger budget deal. Democrats have offered
proposals to extend the benefits.
The latest legislation, a 10-month extension with budget offsets, was
held up in the Senate on Thursday after Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) blocked Republicans from offering amendments.
The liberal case for an extension of benefits for the long-term
unemployed rests on the supposed simulative effect of greater disposable
income for the unemployed.
The new
study,
conducted by economists at the University of Pennsylvania and the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York, contends that any such stimulus is
dwarfed by the economic damage done by extending jobless benefits.
The study examines policies enacted by North Carolina that reduced
the length and generosity of unemployment benefits from the state. The
reforms have been presented as a test case on the likely effects of
allowing federal benefits to expire.
The study found that the state's reforms were an economic positive.
After the reforms were implemented the unemployment rate and the number
of unemployed workers both declined, even as it saw "a strong increase
in the labor force."
The increase in North Carolina employment was primarily in the
private sector. Wages and earners remained mostly steady, while the
average number of hours worked slightly increased.
The results stood in stark contrast to employment trends in neighboring South Carolina and Virginia.
"North Carolina stands out among its neighbors in the improvement in
its labor market performance since its unemployment insurance system
was reformed," the study said.
"People respond to incentives," said Ryan Young, a regulatory studies fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
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