A new study released by a team of economists including Arindrajit Dube, economics, reveals that the large extension of unemployment insurance (U.I.) benefits during the Great Recession had neither statistically significant nor economically meaningful effect on employment, positive or negative. During and after the Great Recession, the federal U.I. program was expanded significantly as unemployed workers became eligible to receive up to 99 weeks of U.I. payments, compared to the usual 26 weeks available before the crisis. While few would disagree that these benefits helped laid-off workers weather the hardship of job loss, some economists have theorized that the increased generosity of U.I. benefits might have reduced employment and slowed economic recovery. Some economists also say there is a possibility that providing funds to workers helped boost consumption and profits, bolstering employment. (Yahoo Finance, The Fiscal Times, 10/5/16; News Office release)