ABSTRACT
There is no single system of unemployment insurance in the United States. Rather, there are separate systems in each of the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Accordingly, it is impossible to describe fully the institution of UI in this country; similarly, because of this heterogeneity, one cannot use a single state’s system as an example that typifies the working of UI or that indicates its likely effects. Instead, we present here a discussion of those general features that characterize many of the state systems and that are essential for an understanding of how and to what extent UI affects the unemployment rate.
