Based on a survey of the literature, assesses the strength of the evidence regarding the effects of labour market institutions and regulations on unemployment. Considers the effects of employment protection, trade union density, bargaining coordination, unemployment benefits, the labour tax...

A rapidly expanding empirical literature has addressed the widely accepted claim that employment-unfriendly labor market institutions explain the pattern of unemployment across countries. The main culprits are held to be protective institutions, namely unemployment benefit entitlements,...

Inflexible labor markets are said to be the most important cause of economic stagnation and high unemployment rates. So certain are some advocates of this claim that casual observers might believe it is undisputed. These three economists show how flimsy the empirical support for such a claim...

This report debunks the myth that labor market protections, such as unions and unemployment benefits, are responsible for high European unemployment rates.

The paper shows that the growing employment gap between Europe and the USA over recent decades reflected the failure of services-employment rates in Europe to converge to American levels whilst European employment rates in goods production were falling rapidly towards those of the USA. The...

The widely held view that French economic performance is poor and that French employment performance is catastrophic, flies in the face of the evidence, according to this report.

Even today, some observers insist the economy cannot be so bad if the unemployment rate is still below levels reached in 1982. But, in fact, the labor force is on average much older now, and that should mean more people are working. If we adjust the labor force for age, how are we faring? These...

Jobs will be the theme of this election season. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that unemployment will not fall to acceptable levels for years. But how much will be lost in lower or forgone wages? The toll, as calculated by John Schmitt and Dean Baker, is shocking.

How bad could recession get? These two economists use the last three recessions to come up with the range of possibilities. Here is what could happen.