Benefits conditional on work and the Nordic model

Ann-Sofie Kolm and Mirco Tonin

Journal of Public Economics, 2015, vol. 127, issue C, 115-126

Abstract: Welfare benefits in the Nordic countries are often tied to employment. We argue that this is one of the factors behind the success of the Nordic model, where a comprehensive welfare state is associated with high employment. In a general equilibrium setting, the underlining mechanism works through wage moderation and job creation. The benefits make it more important to hold a job, thus lower wages will be accepted, and more jobs created. Moreover, we show that the incentive to acquire higher education improves, further boosting employment in the long run. These positive effects help in counteracting the negative impact of taxation.

Keywords: Nordic model; In-work benefits; Wage adjustment; Unemployment; Education; Skill formation; Earnings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H24 J21 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:127:y:2015:i:c:p:115-126

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2014.05.010

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