Choose one of the three pilot programs proposed by Kugler in the Hamilton Project policy brief reading. Do you think it will make a positive impact or not? Why? How do you think it will affect the taxes paid by your firm to finance unemployment insurance benefits?
You can Google the case Hamilton Project Policy is a PDF format.
Just a brief explanation of the case:
Kugler proposes three pilot programs. The first program, Self- Employment Assistance (SEA), focuses on unemployed individuals who are interested in starting their own businesses. The second program, Bridge-to-Work (BTW), supports unemployed individuals who have the opportunity to take short-term jobs. Finally, Under-Employment Assistance (UEA) aims to help workers who take a part-time job while they continue to search for full-time employment.
Kugler suggests that the federal government provide funds to five states on the basis of a competitive proposal to implement each of these three programs. To select states for participation, the U.S. Department of Labor would evaluate applications from states based on a competitive process similar to the one used in setting up demonstration projects created through the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. The programs Kugler proposes would build on evidence from previous iterations of the pilots, and would offer the opportunity to gather more evidence on how to help the unemployed find jobs.