Spell durations are generally relatively short in Latvia, Norway and Sweden but much longer in Luxembourg and the Netherlands (Table 9, panel A). The average duration of a benefit spell in the sample varies from below 4 months in Norway to over 30 months, i.e., 2Vi years, in Luxembourg. Median durations indicate that shortterm benefit receipt is the norm in Latvia, Norway, and Sweden, where 50% of all spells are of duration 2-3 months or shorter.