We examine the effect of the replacement rule of a social insurance system on sickness absence. The elasticity of absence with respect to the benefit level is a critical parameter in defining the optimal sickness insurance scheme. A pre-determined, piecewise linear policy rule in which the...

This paper examines the effect of the replacement rule of the Finnish sickness insurance system on the duration of sickness absence. A pre-determined, piecewise linear policy rule in which the replacement rate is determined by past earnings allows identification of the effect using a regression...

In the paper an index number measuring inefficiency of taxation is introduced which is based on an economy-wide generalisation of the input distance function. Related concepts are an input based quantity index, the index of real endowment, and a productivity index indicating effectiveness of the...

The paper presents a discussion how firms rationally adjust the level of their recruitment effort in relation to the ease of filling the vacancy through public unemployment offices. This induces dependence between the durations in the two channels of recruitment. Multivariate models with random...