Reformers have been coming up with a number of suggestions to shift responsibility for retirement and health care costs to individuals, by making it possible for them to save for such expenses. Less has been said about how they might plan for job loss.

One large flaw in government-sponsored unemployment schemes is that some workers may be tempted to purposefully botch their performance on the job in order to collect unemployment payments. Different countries try to deal with such short-term thinking in different ways.

• In the U.S., some states pay no benefits for the first week of unemployment.

• In France, benefits fall over time.

Two British academics, Michael Orszag and Dennis Snower, both of Birkbeck College in London, have suggested allowing individuals to save for unemployment -- rather than have the government insure against it. Their suggestions draw on ideas such as personal pensions and medical savings accounts.

• All workers would be required to contribute a minimum amount to an unemployment support account.

• Those who lose their jobs could withdraw up to a fixed amount each month -- with the government providing some basic benefit if the account is exhausted.

• Workers would be allowed to transfer any remaining balances into their pension accounts upon retirement.

• This would provide an incentive to work, rather than tap the account.

Personal accounts would also cut the cost of government monitoring whether the unemployed are actually looking for work.