The Economic Way of Thinking 13th Edition by David Prychitko, Peter Boettke, Paul Heyne

Exercise 23

During the most recent recession-the so-called Great Recession-the United States government increased the amount of time an individual was eligible for unemployment benefits from a maximum of 26 weeks to a maximum of 99 weeks. How is this likely to change the incentives facing the unemployed? (To be eligible for unemployment benefits, one must be "looking for work" and not have refused "suitable work") What might this do to the unemployment rate measured in the economy in general?