Duration Dependent Unemployment Benefits in Trade Union Theory

The basic trade union model is extended to allow for a more sophisticated unemployment benefit system consisting of two benefit levels, one for short-term and one for long-term unemployed, and a rule determining whether an unemployed is short- or long-term. The purpose of this extension is twofold; to get a more realistic analysis of the actual benefit systems in most countries, and to analyse alternative reforms to the traditional one of changing a uniform benefit level. Reforms that rebalance the benefit rates holding constant either expected income of an unemployed, aggregate benefit expenditures, or expected income of a union member can reduce unemployment.