Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/272374 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 15747
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We study how job seekers' understanding of complex unemployment benefit rules affects their labor market performance. Combining data from a large-scale scale field experiment, detailed administrative records, and a survey of unemployed job seekers, we document three main results. First, job seekers exhibit pronounced knowledge gaps about the prevailing unemployment benefit rules and their personal benefit entitlements. Second, we show that a low-cost information strategy using a personalized online tool increases job seekers' understanding of the rules and their personal benefit situation. Finally, we document heterogeneous labor-market effects of the intervention depending on job seekers' baseline knowledge and beliefs, their personal employment prospects, and the timing of the intervention during the benefit spell.
Subjects: 
unemployment benefits
field experiments
information frictions
labor market policy
job search
JEL: 
J68
J64
D83
C93
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
1.75 MB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.