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The Effect Of Extending Unemployment Insurance Benefits On Northeast State Unemployment Rates, Guillaume Sabourin

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the effect of changes in the length of unemployment benefits on the unemployment rates of 10 northeast US states. This study includes the most likely variables that would influence the unemployment rate during the time span preceding and following the recent recession. The study observes various contributing factors to unemployment including median income, state GDP, demographics, education, and the construction, manufacturing, and financial services rate for each state. Using state-level data from government sources and a fixed effects empirical model, results suggest that unemployment benefit extensions result in a small but statistically significant increase in the unemployment …