This is an important contribution to the study of the characteristics and behaviour of the unemployed especially in their search for work. It is based on the analysis of unusually good data on a large cohort of men registering as unemployed in 1978, which enables the authors to overcome many of the problems of measuring the effects of economic, demographic and policy variables on unemployment. The results presented will interest labour economists and anyone involved in the policy debate on unemployment.

Examining the characteristics and behavior of unemployed people in Great Britain as they search for work, this study uses specialized data to overcome many problems associated with measuring the effects of economic, demographic, and policy variables on unemployment.

'most interesting studies' Peter E. Hart, Economic Journal