The United States has extended the duration that unemployment insurance (UI) benefits can be received during every recession in the last half century. In the recession of the early 1990s and 2000s Congress extended UI benefits by 27 and 20 weeks respectively, at a cost of $37.1 and $23.4 billion...

During the Great Recession of 2007, unemployment reached nearly 10 percent and the ratio of unemployment to open positions (as measured by the Help Wanted OnLine Index) more than tripled. The weak labor market prompted an unprecedented extension in the length of time in which a claimant can...

During the 2007--2010 economic downturn, the US temporarily increased the duration of Unemployment Insurance (UI) by 73 weeks, higher than any prior extension, raising concerns about UI's disincentive effects on job search. This article examines the effect of temporary benefit extensions using a...

During the 2007–2011 economic downturn, the duration that one could collect unemployment insurance (UI) in the United States increased to an unprecedented 99 weeks, and the UI benefit amount increased by $25. This article explores the policy of increasing the generosity of UI during recessions...