DP1367 A Macro Theory of Employment Vouchers
Author(s): | Mike Orszag, Dennis J. Snower |
Publication Date: | March 1996 |
Keyword(s): | Employment Policy, Government Budget Constraint, Unemployment Benefits |
JEL(s): | J23, J24, J31, J32, J64 |
Programme Areas: | Human Resources |
Link to this Page: | cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=1367 |
This paper explores the optimal design of subsidies for hiring unemployed workers (?employment vouchers? for short) in the context of a simple macroeconomic model of the labour market. Focusing on the short-term and long-term effects of the vouchers on employment and unemployment, the analysis shows how the optimal policy depends on the rates of hiring and firing, and on the problems of displacement and deadweight. It also examines the roles of the government budget constraint and of the level of unemployment benefits in optimal policy design.