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W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

Series

2008

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Articles 1 - 30 of 34

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Statistical Targeting To Support Reemployment Services, Christopher J. O'Leary, Scott Gibbons, Cheryl Atkinson, Gary Gonzalez Dec 2008

Statistical Targeting To Support Reemployment Services, Christopher J. O'Leary, Scott Gibbons, Cheryl Atkinson, Gary Gonzalez

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.


The Wagner-Peyser Act And U.S. Employment Service: Seventy-Five Years Of Matching Job Seekers And Employers, Christopher J. O'Leary, Randall W. Eberts Dec 2008

The Wagner-Peyser Act And U.S. Employment Service: Seventy-Five Years Of Matching Job Seekers And Employers, Christopher J. O'Leary, Randall W. Eberts

Reports

This paper provides an overview of the public labor exchange system in the United States, how it came to be, and where it is going. The paper begins by offering a brief history of the development of the U.S. Employment Service, emphasizing the federal-state partnership that has evolved over time and highlighting the differing priorities Congress has placed on the services funded under Wagner-Peyser Act. It then examines the ways workers search for jobs and employers recruit employees. It also shows the role the ES plays in this job matching process. The complementarity between ES services and the broader workforce …


The La Crosse Promise: Economic Impact Study, George A. Erickcek Dec 2008

The La Crosse Promise: Economic Impact Study, George A. Erickcek

Reports

The Upjohn Institute conducted an economic impact study of a universal, place-based scholarship program for La Crosse, Wisconsin. This study examines the possibility of developing a program similar to the Kalamazoo Promise for the La Crosse area. The La Crosse area is facing a population decline, growing concentrations of low-income students, an aging infrastructure in the region’s largest school district, and regional sprawl that is consuming farmland and natural assets while creating new challenges of congestion and service delivery. As a response to these issues, this study explores the potential impact of a universal, place-based scholarship program.


Net Impact Analysis Of Reading Recovery® In Kalamazoo Public Schools: Concept And Preliminary Findings, Randall W. Eberts, Wei-Jang Huang Nov 2008

Net Impact Analysis Of Reading Recovery® In Kalamazoo Public Schools: Concept And Preliminary Findings, Randall W. Eberts, Wei-Jang Huang

Presentations

This analysis estimated the net impact of Reading Recovery® as it was conducted in Kalamazoo Public Schools for first graders in the 2003/04 cohort. Results suggest that Reading Recovery® has helped students who demonstrated difficulties with literacy skills at the beginning of the year to perform at levels much closer to their peers by the end of the year. Three comparison groups were used in the analysis: RR students only, all other first graders, and matched first graders. Analysis using all three comparison groups found evidence that students in Reading Recovery® raised their test scores more than students that were …


Washington Pension System Review, Peter S. Barth, Heather Grob, Henry George Harder, H. Allan Hunt, Michael Silverstein Nov 2008

Washington Pension System Review, Peter S. Barth, Heather Grob, Henry George Harder, H. Allan Hunt, Michael Silverstein

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

The purpose of this study is to analyze the incidence of Total Permanent Disability (TPD) pensions in Washington State's workers' compensation program. Concerns exist at both the legislature and in the Department of Labor and Industries as there appears to have been a sharp upturn in the number of pensions awarded since late in the 1990s. This report examines the factors that may be causally related to any upsurge in such awards. Our task is to evaluate pension incidence for both the state fund and the self-insured populations, with a view towards identifying causes of the trend in both sectors, …


State Use Of Workforce System Net Impact Estimates And Rates Of Return, Kevin Hollenbeck Nov 2008

State Use Of Workforce System Net Impact Estimates And Rates Of Return, Kevin Hollenbeck

Conference Papers

The net impacts and private and social benefits and costs of workforce development programs were estimated in three separate studies; two of them in Washington and one in Virginia. The programs included the public job training system, programs at community and technical colleges, adult basic education, private career schools, high school career and technical education, and vocational rehabilitation for disabled individuals and for blind or visually impaired individuals. The net impact analyses were conducted using a nonexperimental methodology. Individuals who had encountered the workforce development programs were statistically matched to individuals who had not. Administrative data with information from the …


The Revitalization Of Older Industrial Cities: A Review Essay Of Retooling For Growth, Timothy J. Bartik Nov 2008

The Revitalization Of Older Industrial Cities: A Review Essay Of Retooling For Growth, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This review essay debates the policy issues raised by the book Retooling for Growth: Building a 21st Century Economy in America's Older Industrial Areas, edited by Richard M. McGahey and Jennifer S. Vey (Brookings Institution Press, 2008). I argue that the main rationale for adopting policies to revitalize older industrial cities is to improve the per capita earnings of urban residents. Therefore, urban economic development policy should be seen as urban labor market policy. Increasing city residents' earnings requires progress on two fronts: increasing metropolitan labor demand; increasing the quantity and quality of the effective labor supply of city residents …


The U.S. Economic Crisis And A Revised New Jobs Tax Credit, Timothy J. Bartik Oct 2008

The U.S. Economic Crisis And A Revised New Jobs Tax Credit, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

An efficacious economic stimulus to help the U.S. economy recover from its current recession is the revival of the New Jobs Tax Credit. Unlike the original credit utilized by the federal government in 1977– 1978, the new version should be a refundable credit but at a lower current dollar value. My 2001 book, Jobs for the Poor: Can Labor Demand Policies Help? proposed a permanent version f the New Jobs Tax Credit that would be automatically triggered when the unemployment rate is high. My estimates, updated to 2008, suggest that such a revised credit might increase aggregate U.S. employment by …


Economic Impact Of Businesses Assisted By Southwest Michigan First, George A. Erickcek, Randall W. Eberts Sep 2008

Economic Impact Of Businesses Assisted By Southwest Michigan First, George A. Erickcek, Randall W. Eberts

Reports

This report estimates the contribution to the Kalamazoo-Portage MSA's economy by businesses that have received substantial assistance from Southwest Michigan First (SMF), a private, not-for-profit economic development agency serving the greater Kalamazoo region. The report examines the trends in employment, gross regional product, and wages and salaries generated by the 105 firms that SMF staff identified as receiving substantial assistance from SMF between 2000 and 2008. The estimates extend through the year 2012 in order to capture the employment projections offered by some of the assisted firms. The study also provides upper bound estimates of the benefit-cost ratio of the …


Assessment Of Kalamazoo County's Education For Employment (Efe) Programs Using 2008 Survey Data, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Jason M. Preuss Sep 2008

Assessment Of Kalamazoo County's Education For Employment (Efe) Programs Using 2008 Survey Data, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Jason M. Preuss

Reports

No abstract provided.


Review Of The Davenport Promise Concept, George A. Erickcek, Sarah M. Klerk, Brad R. Watts Sep 2008

Review Of The Davenport Promise Concept, George A. Erickcek, Sarah M. Klerk, Brad R. Watts

Reports

The Davenport Promise would provide college scholarships for students living in the City of Davenport. The scholarship can be used to attend any accredited vocational training institute, college, or university of the student's choice. This report provides estimates of the potential fiscal impact of the Davenport Promise on the City of Davenport and the Davenport Public Schools under several alternative scenarios.


Albion College Study: Exploring Economic Development Opportunities, George A. Erickcek, Ben Copeland Sep 2008

Albion College Study: Exploring Economic Development Opportunities, George A. Erickcek, Ben Copeland

Reports

No abstract provided.


Understanding The Contributions Of Reallocation To Productivity Growth: Lessons From A Comparative Firm-Level Analysis, J. David Brown, John S. Earle Aug 2008

Understanding The Contributions Of Reallocation To Productivity Growth: Lessons From A Comparative Firm-Level Analysis, J. David Brown, John S. Earle

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

We analyze comprehensive manufacturing firm data to measure the contribution of interfirm employment reallocation to aggregate productivity growth during the socialist and reform periods in six transition economies. Modifying a standard decomposition technique to better reflect the role of firm entry, we find that reallocation rates and productivity contributions are very low under socialism, but they rise dramatically after reforms, and productivity contributions greatly exceed those observed in market economies. Early in transition, more reform is associated with larger contributions from reallocation, but later, and on average over the whole transition, this relationship is reversed. Though reallocation rates are larger …


Helping Hand Or Grabbing Hand? State Bureaucracy And Privatization Effectiveness, J. David Brown, John S. Earle, Scott G. Gehlbach Aug 2008

Helping Hand Or Grabbing Hand? State Bureaucracy And Privatization Effectiveness, J. David Brown, John S. Earle, Scott G. Gehlbach

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Why have economic reforms aimed at reducing the role of the state been successful in some cases but not others? Are reform failures the consequence of leviathan states that hinder private economic activity, or of weak states unable to implement policies effectively and provide a supportive institutional environment? We explore these questions in a study of privatization in postcommunist Russia. Taking advantage of large regional variation in the size of public administrations, and employing a multilevel re-search design that controls for pre-privatization selection in the estimation of regional privatization effects, we examine the relationship between state bureaucracy and the impact …


Calhoun County Casino Baseline Study Committee: Recommended Indicators And Baseline Data Report, George A. Erickcek, Bridget F. Timmeney, Brad R. Watts Jul 2008

Calhoun County Casino Baseline Study Committee: Recommended Indicators And Baseline Data Report, George A. Erickcek, Bridget F. Timmeney, Brad R. Watts

Reports

No abstract provided.


Economic Impact Of Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport, George A. Erickcek, Brad R. Watts Jul 2008

Economic Impact Of Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport, George A. Erickcek, Brad R. Watts

Reports

No abstract provided.


Economic Development Benefits Of Preschool Expansion In Kalamazoo County, Timothy J. Bartik Jul 2008

Economic Development Benefits Of Preschool Expansion In Kalamazoo County, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper examines the effects of preschool expansion in Kalamazoo County on the county's economic development. Effects on the county's economic development are defined as effects on the employment and earnings of county residents. The estimated effects are found to be large relative to the costs. In addition to their relevance to Kalamazoo County, these simulations illustrate how the analysis presented in two previous papers (Bartik 2006, 2008) can be done for an individual county or metropolitan area. Such simulations may be of interest to other counties or metropolitan areas that are considering expansions in early childhood programs.


Labor Market Profile Of The Central Area Michigan Works Region, Brad R. Watts, George A. Erickcek Jun 2008

Labor Market Profile Of The Central Area Michigan Works Region, Brad R. Watts, George A. Erickcek

Reports

No abstract provided.


Net Impact Evaluation Of Michigan's Jet (Jobs, Education, And Training) Program, Randall W. Eberts Jun 2008

Net Impact Evaluation Of Michigan's Jet (Jobs, Education, And Training) Program, Randall W. Eberts

Reports

The purpose of this study is to estimate the net impact of Michigan's JET (Jobs, Education, and Training) program. JET marks a change in the way the State of Michigan provides services to increase the economic opportunities of its low-income residents. In 2004, directors of the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG) created the Workforce Action Network (WAN), a group representing workforce development professionals, educators, advocacy organizations, human services agencies, and state and local government staff. The directors charged WAN with developing a set of comprehensive recommendations to strengthen the state's Work …


Outsourcing And Offshoring: Problems For Price And Productivity Measurement, Susan N. Houseman Jun 2008

Outsourcing And Offshoring: Problems For Price And Productivity Measurement, Susan N. Houseman

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.


Comprehensive Study Of Regionalism: Tools For Comparison And Evaluation, George A. Erickcek, Jason M. Preuss, Brad R. Watts, Kevin O'Brien, Claudette Robey, Daila Shimek, Jim Robey, Jacob Duritsky May 2008

Comprehensive Study Of Regionalism: Tools For Comparison And Evaluation, George A. Erickcek, Jason M. Preuss, Brad R. Watts, Kevin O'Brien, Claudette Robey, Daila Shimek, Jim Robey, Jacob Duritsky

Reports

No abstract provided.


On The Feasibility And Advisability Of Conducting A Return On Investment Analysis Of The Indiana Workforce System, Kevin M. Hollenbeck Apr 2008

On The Feasibility And Advisability Of Conducting A Return On Investment Analysis Of The Indiana Workforce System, Kevin M. Hollenbeck

Reports

No abstract provided.


Economic Impact Of Proposed Harbor Shores Development, George A. Erickcek, Brad R. Watts Mar 2008

Economic Impact Of Proposed Harbor Shores Development, George A. Erickcek, Brad R. Watts

Reports

No abstract provided.


Assessment Of Kalamazoo County's Education For Employment (Efe) Programs Using 2007 Survey Data, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Jason M. Preuss Mar 2008

Assessment Of Kalamazoo County's Education For Employment (Efe) Programs Using 2007 Survey Data, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Jason M. Preuss

Reports

No abstract provided.


Ui As A Safety Net For Former Tanf Recipients: Final Report, Christopher J. O'Leary, Kenneth J. Kline Mar 2008

Ui As A Safety Net For Former Tanf Recipients: Final Report, Christopher J. O'Leary, Kenneth J. Kline

Reports

No abstract provided.


Sensitivity Testing Of Net Impact Estimates Of Workforce Development Programs Using Administrative Data, Kevin M. Hollenbeck Feb 2008

Sensitivity Testing Of Net Impact Estimates Of Workforce Development Programs Using Administrative Data, Kevin M. Hollenbeck

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper addresses the question of whether administrative data sources, such as performance monitoring data, can be used for program evaluation purposes. It argues that under certain circumstances, such data can be used. In particular, program performance data that are routinely gathered and monitored by administrators of many workforce development programs meet these circumstances. The paper goes on to demonstrate the point by using administrative data from the state of Washington to examine the net impact on earnings and employment of services provided to adults under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Because of a lack of consensus about appropriate net …


The Economic Development Effects Of Early Childhood Programs, Timothy J. Bartik Jan 2008

The Economic Development Effects Of Early Childhood Programs, Timothy J. Bartik

Reports

No abstract provided.


Workforce Program Performance Indicators For The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Wei-Jang Huang Jan 2008

Workforce Program Performance Indicators For The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Wei-Jang Huang

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

No abstract provided.


Essays On International Migration: Dissertation Summary, Jesús Fernández-Huertas Moraga Jan 2008

Essays On International Migration: Dissertation Summary, Jesús Fernández-Huertas Moraga

Dissertation Awards

International migration happens because individuals want to increase their personal welfare by moving to a new country. In addition, it has effects on the welfare of those who decide not to migrate and remain in their origin countries. This dissertation looks at the overall topic of international migration from three very different angles: 1) who the migrants are or the study of the productive characteristics of migrating individuals with respect to nonmigrants, 2) what the long run effect of migration is and specifically whether it can contribute to Social Security sustainability, and 3) why countries sign bilateral migration agreements to …


Causes And Consequences Of Unequal Federal Taxation And Spending Across Regions: Dissertation Summary, David Albouy Jan 2008

Causes And Consequences Of Unequal Federal Taxation And Spending Across Regions: Dissertation Summary, David Albouy

Dissertation Awards

Most national governments exercise sovereignty over large geographic areas, comprising a multitude of economically diverse cities and politically heterogeneous regions. Unlike local governments, which typically must spend revenues in the same area in which they are raised, national governments face no such constraints and can effectively redistribute funds from one area to another by letting some areas receive more spending, net of taxes, than others. While an enormous literature has studied the causes and consequences of taxation and spending at the purely national and purely local levels, surprisingly little research has examined how or why national governments may tax and …