Unemployment Insurance: A Case for a Private System
比较美国公共与私人失业保险体系，指出私人体系通过竞争提供更多灵活性，但可能削弱社会福利目标，需权衡个人选择与社会福利。
The U.S. unemployment insurance system operates through plans under the primary control of the individual states. Consequently, taxes, benefits, and eligibility requirements vary greatly throughout the nation. Nevertheless, the design of the entire system falls short of permitting employers or employees from choosing among different levels of insurance coverage, as their own circumstances warrant. A private system of unemployment insurance, through competition among insurers, could provide much more flexibility to participants than the current insurance system. A private system, however, is likely to be far less effective as an instrument for attaining certain social welfare objectives. A close examination of the characteristics of public and private insurance systems reveals trade-offs between individual choice and social welfare that should be considered.