Abstract
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 rate in the Northeast region. This increase in unemployment is found to be smaller in this region than the rest of the country.
Included in
Econometrics Commons, Growth and Development Commons, International Economics Commons, Other Economics Commons