Unemployment insurance in the United States.

Summary Publisher's summary: "The United States has a unique system for financing unemployment insurance: the amount of contributions, paid by employers only, depends on the layoff history of each firm ... more precisely, on the number of layoffs it has made in recent years and on the number of laid-off employees who have chosen to receive unemployment benefits. This system of modulating contributions, or "bonus-malus," which is regulated at the federal level, varies from state to state, making the United States an ideal laboratory for analyzing its effects on labour market performance. Does it encourage employers to lay off less? Does it discourage them from hiring? How does it affect the decisions of employees and the unemployed to use or not use unemployment insurance? Reviewing the numerous studies on these questions, the authors highlight the benefits to be expected from the transposition of such a system in Europe - while cautioning against overly simplistic approaches. They suggest ways to reform the financing of the French unemployment insurance system.