The Wisconsin Unemployment Compensation Act of 1932 and the New Deal : the 'Wisconsin idea' and the politics of Governor Philip La Follette

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  • 1932年ウィスコンシン州失業補償法とニューディール : 「ウィスコンシン派」の思想とラフォレット知事による州政治を中心に
  • 1932ネン ウィスコンシンシュウ シツギョウ ホショウホウ ト ニューディール ウィスコンシンハ ノ シソウ ト ラフォレット チジ ニ ヨル シュウセイジ オ チュウシン ニ

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Abstract

This article revisits the historical development of the Wisconsin Unemployment Compensation Act of 1932, which produced the first unemployment insurance system at the state level in the United States. The Wisconsin Act has been highly acclaimed for its pioneering role in the establishment of federal unemployment insurance under the Social Security Act of 1935. However, a closer look at its legislative processes reveals some significant limitations that allowed employers to exercise wide discretion in setting up their own reserve fund for unemployment compensation. In order to explain these limitations, this article examines several important factors that shaped the system. These include the ideological background of the legislation, in particular the so-called Wisconsin idea that was advocated by some influential economists at the University of Wisconsin at Madison; the reaction of the business world, which was strongly opposed to the compulsory unemployment compensation; the state politics of Governor Philip La Follette who sought to mitigate the hardships caused by the Great Depression; and the debate and voting patterns of progressive and stalwart Republicans in the state legislature.

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