Download full text
(external source)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://doi.org/10.1177/1024258920952666
Exports for your reference manager
Beyond European unemployment insurance: Less moral hazard, more moral assurance?
[journal article]
Abstract The compromise that emerged from the lengthy debate on European unemployment insurance (EUI) involved the establishment of a ‘European Unemployment Reinsurance Scheme’. However, it was not until the shock waves of the COVID-19 pandemic were felt that any specific measures were actually taken to esta... view more
The compromise that emerged from the lengthy debate on European unemployment insurance (EUI) involved the establishment of a ‘European Unemployment Reinsurance Scheme’. However, it was not until the shock waves of the COVID-19 pandemic were felt that any specific measures were actually taken to establish such a scheme. The reasons for such prevarication were, first, doubts as to whether moral hazard can be kept under control and, second, the huge diversity of EU Member States’ coverage and level of social protection. This article offers a third reason for this protracted stalemate: the neglect of moral assurance as a countervailing force of moral hazard. It argues that the concept of unemployment insurance itself needs to be fundamentally revised. Modern labour market policy must cover not only income risks related to unemployment, but also other serious income risks related to critical transitions over the life course. Finally, this article proposes the extension of the European Social Fund to create a European Employment and Social Fund with elements of work-life insurance and a reinsurance mechanism for shock absorption.... view less
Keywords
EU; European Social Fund; social insurance; unemployment insurance; labor market policy
Classification
Social Security
Free Keywords
moral assurance; moral hazard; transitional labour markets; work-life insurance
Document language
English
Publication Year
2020
Page/Pages
p. 465-480
Journal
Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 26 (2020) 4
ISSN
1996-7284
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed