Unemployment Compensation During the Great Recession: Theory and Evidence

This paper summarizes federal legislation passed in response to unemployment after the Great Recession, as well as related research. The paper focuses on the durations of congressionally legislated emergency unemployment benefits that, in conjunction with other unemployment benefits, could total up to 99 weeks, but it also includes other initiatives. Although the research focuses on the United States, the authors touch on European literature that addresses many of the same policy issues.