The report reviews the performance of various income support systems for the unemployed, and provides guidelines for developing and transition economies. It finds that: a) Unemployment insurance enables a high degree of consumption smoothing, performs well under various types of shocks, and acts...

One of the most conspicuous consequences of the transition of former socialist economies has been the emergence of large-scale, open unemployment - a phenomenon unheard of before the transition. These economies have thus been confronted with the difficult task of protecting the unemployed while...

The paper provides an overview of unemployment benefit systems in Central and Eastern Europe during the 1990s. It describes their institutional features (eligibility, the level and duration of benefits, and special rules), discusses issues arising in their implementation, and examines their...

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Conceptual Issues -- Objectives of Income Support Programs for the Unemployed -- Accounting for Interactions among Social Risk Management Mechanisms -- Establishing Evaluation Criteria -- Why Should the Public Sector...