Moral hazard arises when individuals can influence the risk being insured; and this happens when, given the possibility of receiving higher benefits, the duration of unemployment and the chances of severance tend to increase. That effect has been detected in empirical studies performed in Canada, France, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Despite those positive effects, the studies in question made various assumptions about the level of moral hazard, risk aversion and the possibilities of saving and lending money, which are not necessarily valid in all circumstances and countries, but can alter some of the findings.