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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Persistence In Industrial Policy Impacts: Evidence From Depression-Era Mississippi, Matthew Freedman Jul 2016

Persistence In Industrial Policy Impacts: Evidence From Depression-Era Mississippi, Matthew Freedman

Matthew Freedman

This paper studies the effects of a large-scale industrial policy implemented in 1930s Mississippi on contemporaneous and modern-day labor market outcomes. Attracted by unprecedented government incentives under Mississippi’s Balance Agriculture with Industry (BAWI) Program, 13 large manufacturing plants established operations in the state between 1936 and 1940. Using difference-in-differences and synthetic control matching techniques, I estimate that counties that received these plants experienced an over 15% increase in female labor force participation on average in the short run. Moreover, these effects persisted decades into the future, well after many of the original companies shut down. I also find suggestive evidence …


Immigration, Employment Opportunities, And Criminal Behavior, Matthew Freedman, Emily Owens, Sarah Bohn Jun 2016

Immigration, Employment Opportunities, And Criminal Behavior, Matthew Freedman, Emily Owens, Sarah Bohn

Matthew Freedman

We take advantage of provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), which granted legal resident status to long-time unauthorized residents but created new obstacles to employment for more recent immigrants, to explore how employment opportunities affect criminal behavior. Exploiting administrative data on the criminal justice involvement of individuals in San Antonio, Texas and using a triple-differences strategy, we find evidence of an increase in felony charges filed against residents most likely to be affected by IRCA’s employment regulations. Our results suggest a strong relationship between access to legal jobs and criminal behavior.

Revisions requested at American …


Your Friends And Neighbors: Localized Economic Development And Criminal Activity, Matthew Freedman, Emily G. Owens Apr 2016

Your Friends And Neighbors: Localized Economic Development And Criminal Activity, Matthew Freedman, Emily G. Owens

Matthew Freedman

We exploit a sudden shock to demand for a subset of low-wage workers generated by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program in San Antonio, Texas to identify the effects of localized economic development on crime. We use a difference-in-differences methodology that takes advantage of variation in BRAC’s impact over time and across neighborhoods. We find that appropriative criminal behavior increases in neighborhoods where a fraction of residents experienced increases in earnings. This effect is driven by residents who were unlikely to be BRAC beneficiaries, implying that criminal opportunities are important in explaining patterns of crime.

Forthcoming in the …


The Urban Density Premium Across Establishments, R. Jason Faberman, Matthew Freedman Apr 2016

The Urban Density Premium Across Establishments, R. Jason Faberman, Matthew Freedman

Matthew Freedman

We use longitudinal establishment data to estimate the urban density premium for U.S. establishments, controlling for observed establishment characteristics and dynamic establishment behavior. Consistent with previous studies, we find an elasticity of average establishment earnings with respect to metropolitan area population of 0.03, controlling for the endogeneity of location and establishment and metropolitan area characteristics. More importantly, we find that the estimated density premium is realized almost entirely at entry and is constant over an establishment’s life. We find little evidence that the endogenous entry or exit of establishments can account for any of the estimated density premium. We interpret …


Undergraduate Labor Economics (Econ 336), Matthew Freedman Dec 2015

Undergraduate Labor Economics (Econ 336), Matthew Freedman

Matthew Freedman

In this course, students will be expected to think critically about labor economics and to apply theoretical concepts related to wage and employment determination to real-world policy and workplace issues. Students will demonstrate their mastery of the subject through class participation as well as in exams, problem sets, and a writing assignment. Learning how to analyze and draw inferences from labor market data represents a key component of the class. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, labor supply and demand, human capital investment, firm compensation policy and performance incentives, unemployment, unions, discrimination, and wage inequality.

Course materials are …


The Great Recession Of 2007-2009, The Lagging Jobs Recovery, And The Missing 5-6 Million National Labor Force Participants In 2011: Why We Should Care, Andrew Sum, Mykhaylo Trubskyy Dec 2015

The Great Recession Of 2007-2009, The Lagging Jobs Recovery, And The Missing 5-6 Million National Labor Force Participants In 2011: Why We Should Care, Andrew Sum, Mykhaylo Trubskyy

Mykhaylo Trubskyy

No abstract provided.


How Effects Of Local Labor Demand Shocks Vary With The Initial Local Unemployment Rate, Timothy J. Bartik Nov 2015

How Effects Of Local Labor Demand Shocks Vary With The Initial Local Unemployment Rate, Timothy J. Bartik

Timothy J. Bartik

see publisher's site


Promoting Retention Or Reemployment Of Workers After A Significant Injury Or Illness, Kevin Hollenbeck Oct 2015

Promoting Retention Or Reemployment Of Workers After A Significant Injury Or Illness, Kevin Hollenbeck

Kevin Hollenbeck

This is one of three policy action papers prepared as part of the Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work Policy Collaborative, an initiative funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy in the U.S. Department of Labor. Each year, millions of workers in the United States lose their jobs or leave the workforce because of a medical condition. Keeping these workers in the labor force could help them stay productive, maintain their standard of living, and avoid dependency on government programs. In this paper, we suggest policies and practices that would encourage employers to retain or hire these workers, and we include specific recommendations for …


Place-Based Programs And The Geographic Dispersion Of Employment, Matthew Freedman Jun 2015

Place-Based Programs And The Geographic Dispersion Of Employment, Matthew Freedman

Matthew Freedman

Government efforts to improve local economic conditions by encouraging private investment in targeted communities could affect the broader geographic distribution of employment in a region, especially to the extent that subsidized businesses face few constraints on whom they hire. This paper examines the labor market impacts of investment subsidized by the U.S. federal government’s New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program, which provides tax incentives to promote business investment in low-income neighborhoods. To identify the program’s effects, I exploit a discontinuity in the rule determining the eligibility of census tracts for NMTC-subsidized investment. Using rich administrative data on workers’ residence and …


What Data On Older Households Tell Us About Wealth Inequality And Entrepreneurship Growth, Christian Weller, Jeffrey Wenger, Benyamin Lichtenstein, Carolyn Arcand May 2015

What Data On Older Households Tell Us About Wealth Inequality And Entrepreneurship Growth, Christian Weller, Jeffrey Wenger, Benyamin Lichtenstein, Carolyn Arcand

Christian Weller

The data analysis for this report, while focusing on older households, tells an interesting story about the potential link between entrepreneurship and wealth inequality that is relevant for economic policy more broadly. Rising wealth among a subset of higher-income households gave those households the opportunity to pursue entrepreneurial activities that otherwise would not have existed. Older households pursued these activities to generate streams of income that were unrelated to risky business income and because they could use their wealth as collateral. Policymakers interested in promoting increased entrepreneurship among older households—where economic pressures have been very noticeable—could consequently pursue two separate …


Temporary Help Employment In Recession And Recovery, Susan Houseman, Carolyn Heinrich Apr 2015

Temporary Help Employment In Recession And Recovery, Susan Houseman, Carolyn Heinrich

Susan N. Houseman

The temporary help industry, although small, plays a significant role in the macro economy, reflecting employers’ growing reliance on temporary help agencies to provide flexibility in meeting staffing needs. Drawing on detailed temporary-help order data between 2007 and 2011 from a large, nationally representative staffing company, we provide insights into the characteristics of temporary help work, employers’ use of temporary agencies to screen workers for permanent positions, and the industry’s role in labor market adjustment over the business cycle. We estimate that the temporary help industry accounted for a large share of gross job losses and job gains over this …


Alienated Politics: Labour Insurgency And The Paternalistic State In China, Eli Friedman Apr 2015

Alienated Politics: Labour Insurgency And The Paternalistic State In China, Eli Friedman

Eli D Friedman

Is there a labour movement in China? This contribution argues that China does not have a labour movement, but that contestation between workers, state and capital is best characterized as a form of ‘alienated politics’. Widespread worker resistance is highly effective at the level of the firm be-cause of its ability to inflict losses on capital and disrupt public order. But authoritarian politics in China prevent workers from formulating political demands. Despite the spectacular repressive capacity of the state, the central government has in fact responded to highly localized resistance by passing generally pro-labour legislation over the past decade. The …


The Potential Effects Of Federal Health Insurance Reforms On Employment Arrangements And Compensation, Marcus Dillender, Carolyn Heinrich, Susan Houseman Mar 2015

The Potential Effects Of Federal Health Insurance Reforms On Employment Arrangements And Compensation, Marcus Dillender, Carolyn Heinrich, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) presents an opportunity to significantly improve compensation for American workers. A potential concern, though, is that employers will circumvent the employer mandate by increasing their use of workers in staffing arrangements that are not covered by the mandate: workers averaging less than 30 hours per week, working on a temporary basis, or working in organizations with fewer than 50 full-time employees. In this paper, we shed light on the likely effects that the ACA will have on employment arrangements. We first examine how part-time employment in Massachusetts changed after its health insurance reform, which is …


What Determines Public Pension Investment Risk-Taking Policy?, Nancy Mohan, Ting Zhang Mar 2015

What Determines Public Pension Investment Risk-Taking Policy?, Nancy Mohan, Ting Zhang

Nancy Mohan

No abstract provided.


Full Employment Requires Job Growth In Manufacturing, Reduction In Trade Deficit / Commentary, Susan Houseman, Dean Baker Feb 2015

Full Employment Requires Job Growth In Manufacturing, Reduction In Trade Deficit / Commentary, Susan Houseman, Dean Baker

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Proposal 12: Encouraging Work Sharing To Reduce Unemployment, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

Proposal 12: Encouraging Work Sharing To Reduce Unemployment, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Job Security And Work Force Adjustment: How Different Are U.S. And Japanese Practices?, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

Job Security And Work Force Adjustment: How Different Are U.S. And Japanese Practices?, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


What Is The Nature Of Part-Time Work In The United States And Japan?, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa Feb 2015

What Is The Nature Of Part-Time Work In The United States And Japan?, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


SubcontratacióN Y MedicióN De La Productividad En La Industria Estadounidense, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

SubcontratacióN Y MedicióN De La Productividad En La Industria Estadounidense, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Part-Time And Temporary Employment In Japan, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa Feb 2015

Part-Time And Temporary Employment In Japan, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


The Growth Of Nonstandard Employment In Japan And The United States: A Comparison Of Causes And Consequences, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa Feb 2015

The Growth Of Nonstandard Employment In Japan And The United States: A Comparison Of Causes And Consequences, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Temporary Agency Work, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

Temporary Agency Work, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Labor Standards In Alternative Work Arrangements, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

Labor Standards In Alternative Work Arrangements, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Offshoring Bias In U.S. Manufacturing, Susan Houseman, Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann, Benjamin Mandel Feb 2015

Offshoring Bias In U.S. Manufacturing, Susan Houseman, Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann, Benjamin Mandel

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Job Security In America: A Better Approach, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

Job Security In America: A Better Approach, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Do Temporary-Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes For Low-Skilled Workers? Evidence From "Work First", David Autor, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

Do Temporary-Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes For Low-Skilled Workers? Evidence From "Work First", David Autor, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Temporary Agency Employment: A Way Out Of Poverty?, David Autor, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

Temporary Agency Employment: A Way Out Of Poverty?, David Autor, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


Offshoring Bias In U.S. Manufacturing: Implications For Productivity And Value Added, Susan Houseman, Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann, B. Mandel Feb 2015

Offshoring Bias In U.S. Manufacturing: Implications For Productivity And Value Added, Susan Houseman, Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann, B. Mandel

Susan N. Houseman

The rapid growth of offshoring has sparked a contentious debate over its impact on the U.S. manufacturing sector, which has recorded steep employment declines yet strong output growth—a fact reconciled by the notable gains in manufacturing productivity. We maintain, however, that the dramatic acceleration of imports from developing countries has imparted a significant bias to the official statistics. In particular, the price declines associated with the shift to low-cost foreign suppliers are generally not captured in input cost and import price indexes. Although cost savings are a primary driver of the shift in sourcing to foreign suppliers, the price declines …


External And Internal Labor Market Flexibility: An International Comparison, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

External And Internal Labor Market Flexibility: An International Comparison, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.


The Benefits Implications Of Recent Trends In Flexible Staffing Arrangements, Susan Houseman Feb 2015

The Benefits Implications Of Recent Trends In Flexible Staffing Arrangements, Susan Houseman

Susan N. Houseman

No abstract provided.