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The Role of Caseworkers in Unemployment Insurance: Evidence From Unplanned Absences

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  • Amelie Schiprowski
Abstract
Caseworkers are the main human resources used to provide social services. This paper asks if, and how much, caseworkers matter for the outcomes of unemployed individuals. Using large-scale administrative data, I exploit exogenous variation in unplanned absences among Swiss UI caseworkers. I find that individuals who lose a meeting with their caseworker stay unemployed 5% longer. Results show large heterogeneity in the personal impact of caseworkers: the effect of a foregone meeting is zero for caseworkers in the lower half of the productivity distribution, while it amounts to more than twice the average effect for caseworkers in the upper half.

Suggested Citation

  • Amelie Schiprowski, 2020. "The Role of Caseworkers in Unemployment Insurance: Evidence From Unplanned Absences," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2020_165, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2020_165
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    File URL: https://www.crctr224.de/research/discussion-papers/archive/dp165
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    3. Vehkasalo, Ville, 2020. "Effects of face-to-face counselling on unemployment rate and duration: evidence from a Public Employment Service reform," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 54(1), pages 1-11.
    4. Caliendo, Marco & Künn, Steffen & Mahlstedt, Robert, 2022. "The Intended and Unintended Effects of Promoting Labor Market Mobility," IZA Discussion Papers 15011, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Thomas Le Barbanchon & Johannes F. Schmieder & Andrea Weber, 2024. "Job Search, Unemployment Insurance, and Active Labor Market Policies," NBER Working Papers 32720, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Carlos Carrillo-Tudela & Leo Kaas & Benjamin Lochner, 2023. "Matching through Search Channels," CESifo Working Paper Series 10761, CESifo.
    7. Altmann, Steffen & Glenny, Anita Marie & Mahlstedt, Robert & Sebald, Alexander, 2022. "The Direct and Indirect Effects of Online Job Search Advice," IZA Discussion Papers 15830, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Christian Merkl & Timo Sauerbier, 2024. "Public Employment Agency Reform, Matching Efficiency, and German Unemployment," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 72(1), pages 393-440, March.
    9. Ville Vehkasalo, 2020. "Effects of face-to-face counselling on unemployment rate and duration: evidence from a Public Employment Service reform," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 54(1), pages 1-14, December.
    10. Lundin, Martin & Häggblom, Josefin, 2022. "Deservingness and street-level decision-making. Two survey experiments on the use of discretion in the public sector," Working Paper Series 2022:17, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    11. Jonathan Cohen & Geoffrey C. Schnorr, 2024. "Efficiency Costs of Unemployment Insurance Denial: Evidence from Randomly Assigned Examiners," Upjohn Working Papers 24-404, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    12. Vehkasalo, Ville, 2020. "Effects of face'to'face counselling on unemployment rate and duration: evidence from a Public Employment Service reform," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 54(1), pages .11(1-14).
    13. Bhuller, Manudeep & Sigstad, Henrik, 2024. "2SLS with multiple treatments," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 242(1).
    14. repec:iab:iabjlr:v:54:i:1:p:art.11 is not listed on IDEAS
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public Human Resources; Caseworkers; Unemployment Insurance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings
    • M50 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - General

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