Since 2003, the French unemployment insurance system provides downside insurance to eligible unemployed workers who decide to start a business. We evaluate how this policy change affects entry into self-employment. The reform significantly increases firm creation without worsening the quality of...

The UK economy has undergone significant market reforms over the last two decades. A key question for productivity researchers is the impact of these reforms on productivity growth. In this article, Richard B. Freeman of the London School of Economics, Harvard University and the NBER and David...