Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 21 of 21

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

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.


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 …


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, …


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 …


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.


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.


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 …


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.


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.


Is There A Role For Public Support Of Incumbent Worker On-The-Job Training?, Kevin Hollenbeck Jan 2008

Is There A Role For Public Support Of Incumbent Worker On-The-Job Training?, Kevin Hollenbeck

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

States have begun to use training subsidies as a policy tool for employment retention and business competitiveness. This paper summarizes a survey of states concerning their investments in incumbent worker training. Altogether, states are investing about $550 to $800 million, which is perhaps one percent or less of total private sector training costs. The paper further discusses a study conducted for one state in which we found significant fiscal returns implying that underinvestment of public funds for incumbent worker training may be occurring. In this state, primary sector jobs were created or retained at a public cost of less than …


Is There A Role For Public Support Of Incumbent Worker On-The-Job Training?, Kevin M. Hollenbeck Jan 2008

Is There A Role For Public Support Of Incumbent Worker On-The-Job Training?, Kevin M. Hollenbeck

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

States have begun to use training subsidies as a policy tool for employment retention and business competitiveness. This paper summarizes a survey of states concerning their investments in incumbent worker training. Altogether, states are investing about $550 to $800 million, which is perhaps one percent or less of total private sector training costs. The paper further discusses a study conducted for one state in which we found significant fiscal returns implying that underinvestment of public funds for incumbent worker training may be occurring. In this state, primary sector jobs were created or retained at a public cost of less than …


An Evaluation Of The 21st Century Workplace Skills Initiative, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Bridget F. Timmeney Jan 2008

An Evaluation Of The 21st Century Workplace Skills Initiative, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Bridget F. Timmeney

Reports

No abstract provided.