Macroeconomics

300 words plus cite sources

After reading the Issues & Applications from Chapter 7, Have Unemployment Benefits Boosted Unemployment?, and listening to this  NPR audio clip, Economists, Unemployed Fret Over Long-Term Jobless Aid Lapse, answer the following questions:

a)    By visiting the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, find the latest unemployment rate available for your state. How does the unemployment rate of your state compare to that of the U.S. as a whole? What factors do you feel most contribute to your state's unemployment numbers?  (Note: If you are outside of the U.S., please provide the unemployment rate of your country by visiting the World Bank website. Compare the rate of your country to that of the U.S.)

Bureau of Labor Statistics:  http://www.bls.gov/lau/home.htm  and  http://www.bls.gov/home.htm 

The World Bank: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS 

b)    Regarding long-term unemployment, what incentives do you believe the long-term unemployed face with unemployment insurance programs? As part of your answer, make sure to address what impact these programs have on the economy of a country.