A Longitudinal Analysis of Unemployment Insurance Receipt: 1987–1991

Abstract

Past research shows that certain individuals (i.e., women and people of color) in particular places (i.e., in the South or in rural areas) are more susceptible than others to economic hardship. Many researchers have also argued that this economic vulnerability translates into a disadvantaged position within the welfare system. Both labor market and welfare inequality have been intensified by economic transformations in the U.S. economy during the last 20 years. This research examines the connection between labor market vulnerability and welfare inequity in one particular social insurance program, the unemployment insurance program (i.e., whether or not unemployed workers receive unemployment insurance benefits). Using multivariate logistic regression, this research identifies differences in unemployment insurance receipt due to human capital, household and labor market variables and how these effects vary from year to year. The data for this study come from the National Longitudinal Surveys for Youth (NLSY) and include 1987 to. 1991.