Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Economics Of The Great Depression, Mark Wheeler Editor

Upjohn Press

This book contributes to our understanding of the Great Depression's immediate and long-term impacts on the American economy. Editor Mark Wheeler has gathered six scholars from a range of subdisciplines within economics who, together, offer a diverse look at the Depression's effects on the nation's GDP, workers and labor markets, and monetary policy.

Policy Complementarities: The Case For Fundamental Labor Market Reform, Dennis Snower, David T. Coe

Dennis Snower

The paper analyzes complementarities among a variety of labor market policies. It shows that (a) a wide range of labor market institutions (.e.g unemployment benefits, job security legislation, and payroll taxes) have complementary effects on unemployment and thus (b) policies aimed at reforming these institutions are also complementary. These policy complementarities imply that partial labor market reform (directed at one institution, while leaving the other institutions in place) is unlikely to achieve significant reductions in unemployment. Rather labor market reform becomes particularly effective only once a broad range of institutional rigidities are dismantled simultaneously and the distributional objectives of the …

Expanding The Welfare System, Michael J. Orszag, Dennis Snower

Dennis Snower

The proposal involves the establishment of “welfare accounts” for every person in a country. There are to be four accounts: a retirement account (covering pensions), an unemployment account (covering unemployment support), a human capital account (covering education and training), and a health account (covering insurance against sickness and disability). Instead of the current welfare state systems - where welfare services are financed predominantly out of general taxes - people would make ongoing, mandatory contributions to each of these welfare accounts. The balances in these accounts would cover people’s major welfare needs. The government is to set mandatory minimum contribution rates …

Job Growth And The Quality Of Jobs In The U.S. Economy, Susan N. Houseman

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

During the 1980's employment grew rapidly in the United States, prompting many analysts to label the U.S. economy the great American job machine. But while aggregate employment increased rapidly during the 1980's, many did not benefit from the expansion. Among less educated prime-age males, unemployment rates rose and labor force participation rates declined sharply. Moreover, although job growth was high, many argued that the quality of American jobs as measured by wages, benefits, and job security deteriorated. The decline of jobs in the high-paying manufacturing sector and the growth of jobs in the low-paying services sector, the growth in part-time …

Unemployment And Liquidity Constraints, Vassilis A. Hajivassiliou, Yannis M. Ioannides

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

In this paper we propose a modelling approach for labor supply and consumption decisions that is firmly grounded within a utility maximizing framework and allows for a role of such institutional constraints as limited access to borrowing and involuntary unemployment. We report estimations for a system of dynamic probit models with data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. These estimations test broad predictions of the theoretical model. One of our models describes a household’s propensity to be liquidity constrained in a given period. The second is a dynamic ordered probit model for a labor constraint indicator describing qualitative aspects …

Job Growth And The Quality Of Jobs In The U.S. Economy, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.

Theoretical Explanations Of Persistent Black Youth Unemployment, Rhonda M. Williams

Trotter Review

This essay reviews and briefly summarizes three theoretical models used most often to explain two decades of persistently high unemployment among black youth and declining rates of male labor-force participation: neoclassical, Keynesian/neo-Keynesian, and radical perspectives. Based on a review of these models, it offers an alternative approach to explaining and analyzing black youth unemployment.

Analysis Of Us Real Gnp And Unemployment Relations, Riccardo Fiorito, Masanao Aoki

riccardo fiorito

Instead of the more common unemployment rate, the time series data of the US unemployment level is used with real GNP and money stock too. The commonly perceived Okun's Law disappears when moving from the bivariate model to the trivariate model including also money.

Learning Society And Low Unemployment: Education And Training In Low Unemployment Countries, Anto Kerins

Books / Book chapters

Ireland is a world leader in literature, music and well bred horses. She has also done well in economic growth, foreign trade and low inflation. However, in unemployment she is also, unfortunately, a world leader. This book approaches the jobs crisis in Ireland by reflecting on the experience of five relatively low unemployemnt nations: Austria, Japan, Norway and Sweden. This book offers a wide range of ideas and proposals on how to reduce our unemployment.

Overall Economic Development Plan An Annual Update, Umass Amherst Center Economic Development

Center for Economic Development Technical Reports

This report’s purpose was to analyze the economic conditions of Rutland County, Vermont. It covers Employment, Labor Force, Unemployment, and Housing.

Industrial Feasibility Studies Three Scattered Sites Springfield, Massachusetts, Center For Economic Development

Center for Economic Development Technical Reports

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of developing industrial sites at three locations in the City if Springfield. Due to a shortage of industrial land the City is extremely interested in identifying parcels of land upon which industry can be sited.

The study was undertaken by the Springfield Economic Development Corporation in conjunction with the Center For Economic Development at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The objective of the effort was to encourage the development of new or existing industry at sites whose development would be in keeping with the planning goals and objectives of …

Wage Flexibility And Unemployment Dynamics In Regional Labor Markets, Thomas Hyclak, Geraint Johnes

Upjohn Press

Hyclak and Johnes explore the extent to which wage rigidity differs across regional labor markets in the U.S. and how it affects the unemployment response to shifts in regional aggregate demand. They also look at the determinants of differences in wage rigidity across regional labor markets.

Recent Developments In The Theory Of Involuntary Unemployment, Carl Davidson

Upjohn Press

This monograph provides a relatively nontechnical summary of the prominent theories of unemployment that have emerged since 1960: search, disequilibrium, implicit contracts, efficiency wage, and insider/outsider models. Davidson focuses on the overall purpose of each line of research, reviewing selected articles on each of the theories. He then offers clear descriptions that make the topics readily accessible to both students and nonspecialists.

Unemployment, Vacancies And Local Labor Markets, Harry J. Holzer

Upjohn Press

Unemployment rates in the U.S. vary considerably over time and across local areas. Economists have long been concerned with explaining these variations and have attempted to distinguish various components of unemployment to explain these variations in rates. Holzer uses firm-level data on job vacancies, sales growth, and wages within and across a group of 28 local labor markets to examine these issues.

The Conflict Between Equilibrium And Disequilibrium Theories: The Case Of The U.S. Labor Market, Richard E. Quandt, Harvey S. Rosen

Upjohn Press

A fundamental controversy in labor economics is whether unemployment is better viewed as an equilibrium or disequilibrium phenomenon. The authors contend that answers to policy problems related to unemployment will depend on which of the two characterizations of the labor market is accepted. They note the effects of inflation, taxes, and unionization on unemployment and describe those factors' effects on the equilibrium/disequilibrium question by presenting both equilibrium and disequilibrium models of the U.S. labor market.

What Is The Effect Of Random Variation In State Unemployment Rates?, Edward W. Hill

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

Examines national Current Population Survey data to indicate the impact of sample size on the standard error of subpopulations in the sample and to show how these errors can influence policy conclusions. Examines the unemployment rate cross-sectionally for 11 states to demonstrate that the monthly unemployment rate should not be used to make fine distinctions between the states.

The Effect Of Economic Events On Votes For President: 1984 Update, Ray C. Fair

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

In previous work I have developed an equation explaining votes for president in the United States that seems to have a remarkable predictive ability. The purpose of this paper is to update this equation through the 1984 election and then use it to predict the 1988 election.

Worker Dislocation: Case Studies Of Causes And Cures, Robert F. Cook, Editor

Upjohn Press

This book describes various projects to assist dislocated workers under Title III of the JTPA, and offers lessons on what has and hasn't worked.

Problems Of Measuring Unemployment In Nigeria, H. A. Ajani, H. N. Okonta

Economic and Financial Review

Much as unemployment is dreaded in all market economies, the problems associated with its measurement in Nigeria are sometimes not addressed, if ever appreciated. To facilitate international comparison, uniform measurement methods have considerably narrowed down the difference in the concept of unemployment. Nevertheless, unemployment index seems to disguise the extent of the problem in Nigeria. Unless the desire to work for a wage is explicitly expressed, it is difficult to identify the unemployed. In other words, if the job-seeker is regarded as someone actively seeking wage employment, the concept of unemployment becomes less relevant in the context of a developing …

Unemployment And Economic Development In Nigeria - Analysis And Policy Implications, E. O. Akinnifesi

Economic and Financial Review

This paper discusses the dynamics of the unemployment problem within the development perspective of a post-independent Nigeria. It is argued that while successive governments seemed to have recognised the problem, the solutions so far adopted have resulted in mere palliatives. Several factors accounting for unemployment have included: colonialism and the white-collar job syndrome, choice of technique in industries, structure of economic organisation, migration patterns, urbanisation, population growth, educational structure, and business cycles. Of the possible consequences of unemployment, the study highlights those having social, health, political and economic dimensions such as stress, suicide, parasuicide, armed robbery, coup d'etats, inflation, etc. …

Government Programs, Job Search Requirements, And The Duration Of Unemployment, Michael C. Keeley, Philip K. Robins

Economics Articles and Papers

This paper presents an empirical analysis of how job search requirements under various government programs influence job search behavior. The analysis indicates that job search requirements exert a significant impact on certain aspects of the job search process, but not those that generally lead to a higher probability of employment. It is also found that persons who utilize intensively search activities that result in direct employer contact have much shorter durations of unemployment than persons who do not utilize such activities intensively. It is speculated that altering job search requirements to include more direct employer contact could lead to a …

Implications Of The Farm Crisis For Rural Communities In South Dakota, Thomas L. Dobbs

Economics Commentator

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Female Reentrant Unemployment, Ethel B. Jones

Upjohn Press

Examines the extent that women undergo a spell of unemployment upon reentering the workforce, and the factors that influence such a spell.

Sample Selection Bias And The Nature Of Unemployment, Joshua David Angrist

Honors Papers

The most disturbing and difficult empirical problems of labor economics revolve around the absence of crucial information; the wage an unemployed person would receive if he or she were working. The most controversial policy problem of labor economics is embodied in the question; when is unemployment a problem? The goal of this paper is to propose a methodology for studying the first problem that sheds some light on the second.

Unemployment Experience Of Individuals Over A Decade: Variations By Sex, Race And Age, Herbert S. Parnes

Upjohn Press

Uses NLS data to show that unemployment leads to lost earnings and long-term reductions in earning capacity.

Monetary And Fiscal Policies In Short Run Equilibria With Rationing, Bryce Hool

Research Collection School Of Economics

No abstract provided.

The Unemployment And Reemployment Experiences Of Displaced Workers Resulting From The Shutdown Of Two Utah Mines: The Park City Ventures And The Burgin Mine, Richard A. Davidson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper is to study the unemployment and reemployment experiences of displaced workers. Two mines were shut down in 1978 in Utah: the Park City Ventures Mine located in Park City and the Burgin Mine located in Eureka. Data were collected from questionnaires mailed to all the displaced workers of both mines and from personal interviews conducted with mine officials, officials of formal job-search agencies, and union representatives.

The shutdown at Park City Ventures affected 350 workers, and the shutdown at the Burgin Mine affected 153. Both mines qualified for and were certified for Trade Readjustment Act …

An Assessment Of The Validity Of The Unemployment Variable As A Determinant Of Changes In Money Wages In Wage-Estimation Models, James L. Jennings

Economics Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.

An Evaluation Of The Dichotomy Between Structural Versus Deficient-Demand Unemployment, Carl D. Parker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is addressed to the theoretical controversy which revolves around the explanation of the higher unemployment rates that prevailed after 1957. The debate that has been generated concerning the causes of this unemployment problem is usually referred to as the "structural" versus "deficient-demand" debate. An attempt is made to present a representative view of both sides of the debate as well as a critical evaluation of both positions. Care is taken to keep both positions separated for each leads to entirely different policy recommendations. A more general theoretical structure is presented which will be useful in analyzing the relevance …

An Economic And Sociological Study Of A Kansas Community, Vernon T. Clover

Fort Hays Studies Series

This is a survey of Ellis county, Kansas. The purpose was to discover what information of importance is available in regard to the economic and human characteristics of this county and of similar areas throughout the United States for the prewar year of 1940.