United States | One-handed economics

Generous unemployment benefits are not keeping Americans from work

Economists usually squabble over everything. On this, they are nearly unanimous

Homo economicus

SINCE THE $2trn stimulus package was passed in March, America has temporarily had one of the world’s most generous unemployment-insurance (UI) systems. Some fear this comes at a steep price. With the unemployment rate still in double digits, are munificent state handouts stopping people from looking for new jobs or returning to old ones?

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “One-handed economics”

Free money: When government spending knows no limits

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