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2 U. Pa. J. Lab. & Emp. L. 215 (1999-2000)
Unemployment Insurance in the United States: Analysis of Policy Issues

handle is hein.journals/upjlel2 and id is 225 raw text is: Book Review Unemployment Insurance in the United States: Analysis of Policy Issues, O'Leary, Christopher and Wandner, Stephen A., eds. (W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employer Research, 1997. 761 pp. $55.56). reviewed by Paul L. Burgesst This collection of readings is essential for anyone interested in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system in the United States. The interested set of readers should include policymakers, worker groups, firms, UI administrators, and researchers. The current volume represents the third in a trilogy of reference works on the U.S. system supported by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Haber and Murray began the series in 1966 with Unemployment Insurance in the American Economy, which continues to be a valuable reference source even today. Next, Blaustein expanded and extended the scope of the first volume to include subsequent developments in the U.S. program, to place the first fifty years of the American program in historical context, and to examine the evolution of UI programs in the U.S. and abroad in his 1993 volume entitled Unemployment Insurance in the United States: The First Half Century (hereinafter Unemployment Insurance Policy). The current volume differs from its predecessors because, rather than describing the system and its historical evolution, O'Leary and Wandner have chosen contributors who emphasize what we have learned from hundreds of often complex studies of the U.S. system. In many cases, the chapters probably also provide useful insights into the incentives and outcomes likely to accompany similar UI features in other countries. The organization of Unemployment Insurance Policy reflects the fact that the UI program is a federal-state partnership. The Social Security Act and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act provide the federal context within which each State operates its program according to state laws and policies. The result of this framework is a rich diversity in how states operate their individual programs. Benefit eligibility, duration, and amounts are t Paul L. Burgess is a Professor of Economics in the College of Business at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.