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Forskningsartikel2022Vetenskapligt granskadÖppen tillgång

On the social opportunity cost of unemployment

Johansson, Per-Olov; Kristrom, Bengt

Sammanfattning

The handling of unemployment is a central issue in cost-benefit analysis. Typically, the shadow price of employing an unemployed is derived by considering a marginal change in the employment constraint faced by an unemployed or rather an underemployed. In contrast, in this paper, we consider the discrete shift from unemployment to (full) employment. The result provides guidance how to estimate the social cost of recruiting otherwise unemployed to a project. It is shown that the social cost is overestimated by using the private reservation wage. The common practice of adding different cost items is shown to be flawed.

Nyckelord

Cost-benefit analysis; unemployment; reservation wage; social opportunity cost; socioeconomic costs; adding-up problem

Publicerad i

Journal of Economic Policy Reform
2022, Volym: 25, nummer: 3, sidor: 229-239
Utgivare: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR AND FRANCIS LTD

    Globala målen

    Verka för varaktig, inkluderande och hållbar ekonomisk tillväxt, full och produktiv sysselsättning med anständiga arbetsvillkor för alla

    UKÄ forskningsämne

    Nationalekonomi

    Publikationens identifierare

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17487870.2020.1785300

    Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/107036