The question of time sequencing of benefits is about whether benefits should be paid at a fixed rate over the spell of unemployment or decline (or increase) over the spell. This issue appeared in the literature on optimal UI in the late 1970s and has attracted new attention in recent research. 1 Issues regarding monitoring and sanctions concern how much resources should be spent on checking search behavior and how sanctions, such as benefit cuts, should be implemented if prescribed search requirements are not met. These questions have been discussed in policy circles but only rarely been the subject of research. 2 .
