Labor Relations Commons^™

The Game Within: An Anthropological Approach To Games And Play, Nehal Maged Mohamed

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is based on an eighteen-month ethnography of El Ghawasa, an Egyptian play-based organization that designs educational games, tools, and services. Claiming that El Ghawasa, with its ethos of play, seeks to create an alternative to the capitalist corporate structure. Through tracking how this organization navigates ruptures, negotiates constraints, and experiments with different practices and internal restructuring, I explore the possibilities and limitations of El Ghawasa, while attempting to resist absorption by the very system it opposes. I ask: when the rules keep changing (while the logic of the capitalist corporate structure remains the same), and the boundaries of …

The Startup: Critical Perspectives On Technology Entrepreneurship And Digital Labor, Kochav Koren

All Duquesne Faculty Scholarship

Communication and media studies are rapidly reshaped by socio-technological forces within the framework of informational capitalism, where startups emerge as key drivers of the global creative economy. This study critically examines the global startup movement through political economy, classical sociology, and Southern perspectives to assess whether digital entrepreneurship fosters genuine, decentralized innovation or perpetuates speculative financialization and labor precarity. Employing a multi-layered theoretical framework—including Schumpeterian creative destruction, Marxist commodity fetishism, and Weberian charismatic authority—and qualitative fieldwork across North and Latin American tech hubs, the analysis reveals startups as network enterprises that both disrupt markets and reproduce structural inequalities. The findings …

The Lived Experience Of Inconsistent Legal Recognition: A Phenomenological Study Of Job Burnout And Moral Injury In Florida Correctional Officers, Jeffrey A. Snipes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative transcendental phenomenological study investigates the lived experiences of Florida correctional officers (FCOs) regarding inconsistent legal recognition and the divergence between functional mandates and legislative definitions. Utilizing Dr. Jonathan Shay’s moral injury framework, this research explores how statutory marginalization functions as a precursor to burnout. A transcendental phenomenological research design was employed; 21 officers were screened using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS) followed by semi-structured interviews with a nine-participant subsample.

Data analysis followed Creswell’s spiral procedures to identify themes describing the essence of these experiences. Findings suggest that inconsistent recognition as first responders catalyzes moral injury, exacerbating burnout and …

The Palm Farm Next-Door: Land Concessions, Livelihoods, And Nutrition In Plantation-Adjacent Communities, Julia Entwistle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Large-scale land concessions have reshaped agrarian landscapes globally, yet their implications for community land tenure, livelihoods, and nutrition remain unevenly understood. This dissertation examines how plantation agriculture and foreign investment have transformed land access, labor relations, and food systems in Liberia, a country with one of the highest proportions of land under concession globally. Guided by a political ecology framework, the study employs a mixed-methods design integrating policy analysis, in-depth interviews, and household surveys across two palm oil concession sites. The findings show that ambiguous land policies historically facilitated dispossession, while recent legal reforms have enabled communities to strategically mobilize …

Do Rural Areas Gender-Discriminate Wages More Than Metropolitan Areas?, Ali Gonzalez, Michael Montano, Brandon Sacks, Joseph Williams

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

This study analyzes the gender wage gap in metropolitan versus rural areas using U.S. hourly wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), for the period 2010-2025. The analysis uses regressions on a semi-log wage model and Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions to compare the gaps and separate the effects attributable to explained (endowment) differences from those attributable to unexplained (coefficient) differences. The semi-log wage model reveals a percentage wage decrease for females of approximately 17.4% in rural areas and 9.9% in metropolitan areas. The Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions further indicate that the unexplained (coefficient) component of the gap is substantially larger in rural …

Esports Cosmopolitan Canopy, Reice Hicks

Honors Theses

This thesis concerns the area of sociology. Specifically, it is a sociological study of a community on Ole Miss’s campus and how they form what is known within the sociology field as a “cosmopolitan canopy,” a term coined by Elijah Anderson. Using this term, I proceed to prove not only how the Ole Miss Esports club falls under this jurisdiction, but the effects of esports on the youth as a whole, both positive and negative. All of my data was extracted via literature review, online research, note-taking, visual observation, and one-on-one interviews with people involved with the club. The entire …

What Is Happening In Major League Baseball? A Structural Snapshot In An Evolving Economic Landscape: A Case Study, Max K. Shilstone

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This qualitative case study examines the most visible business and economic factors currently impacting Major League Baseball (MLB). Specifically, it analyzes how current labor and collective bargaining issues, the changing media and broadcasting landscape, and the league’s reliance on locally generated revenue are shaping the league’s current and future business environment. Using a multi-method qualitative approach, this case study draws from academic scholarship, contemporary industry reporting, league documents, existing interviews, and six semi-structured interviews with professionals working in or around MLB. The evidence was analyzed through thematic coding and triangulated across sources to identify recurring themes and validate emerging findings. …

The Impatience Of Winning: An Analysis Of Time Discounting, Predictive Modeling, And The Nba Draft, Alec R. Plante

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This paper examines whether NBA draft decisions can be better explained by incorporating non-geometric time discounting into a model of general manager decision making. Using a dataset of 285 NBA draft prospects over a 12-year period, the impact of college statistics on Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) is determined, and these impact values are then used to create a “predicted” VORP for the first 4 seasons of each player’s career: a projection of what a general manager might think of a prospect’s future value given their college statistics. Following this, geometric and hyperbolic time discounting models are applied to estimate …

One Faculty, One Mission: A Unified Faculty Model For California Community Colleges, Debbie Klein

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This article advances a unified, non-tiered faculty model as essential to fulfilling the mission of the California Community Colleges (CCC) system. Although the system is charged with realizing open access and educational equity, nearly 70% of faculty serve in part-time or contingent roles—often without proportional compensation, institutional stability, or meaningful participation in governance. Drawing on research demonstrating that faculty working conditions shape student learning conditions, the article argues that structural employment inequities undermine the system’s democratic promise. Situating the proposal within national “One Faculty” efforts and recent legislative attention to pay parity in California, it demonstrates that reform is both …

What Is Happening In The World Today And Why: Humanity’S Evolving Consciousness And The Role Of Archetypal Energies As Guides During An Unfolding Weeding Out And Alignment Process, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

What is happening in the world today and why? Humanity is evolving its consciousness at individual and collective levels. Given these seemingly tumultuous times, as of this writing (January 2026), to make such a statement may sound like a strange thing to say. However, I suggest that if you are alive today and if you are reading these words, these are the very times for which you were born--to assist Humanity as it evolves its consciousness with your unique gifts, whatever they may be. That is, this period of our individual and collective human being-ness may be characterized as an …

Humanity Is Evolving Its Consciousness: The Role Of Archetypal Energies As Guides During An Unfolding Weeding Out And Alignment Process, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Humanity is evolving its consciousness at individual and collective levels.  Given these seemingly tumultuous times, as of this writing (January 2026), to make such a statement may sound like a strange thing to say.  However, I suggest that if you are alive today and if you are reading these words, these are the very times for which you were born—to assist Humanity as it evolves its consciousness with your unique gifts, whatever they may be.  That is, this period of our individual and collective human being-ness may be characterized as an unfolding period of weeding out and alignment with the …

Charting The Distinct Rights Of Sea Workers In European Waters : A Focus On Decent Working Time, María Carrera-Arce, Raphael Baumler, Laura Carballo, Bikram Singh Bhatia

Reports

The document contains three distinct reports:

• The Report 1 ‘Social rights of sea workers in European waters – A Legal study’ discusses sea workers labour regulations in Europe, including cross-sectoral and sector-specific instruments. (pp. 13-68)

• The core of Report 2 ‘Ensuring decent working time for the future – Seafarers under EEA and non-EEA flags’ analyses flags State working-time requirements in the EEA and selected non-EEA jurisdictions. (pp. 69-131)

• The Report 3 ‘A working time comparative analysis – Examples of labour gaps between sea and land workers’ explores in depth working time between sea workers and other occupational …

Enhancing Military Health System Organizational Efficiency And Quality Of Care Through A Social-Ecological Framework, Eric L. Peipelman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Timely and fair adjudication of incivility-related actions within the Department of Defense (DoD) and Military Health System (MHS) is increasingly crucial for maintaining accountability, mission readiness, and quality of care. Ongoing delays in resolving workplace complaints and inefficiencies in resource-heavy adjudications highlight the need to shift from reactive complaint handling toward proactive civility promotion and transparent decision-making. This Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) introduces the Peipelman Civility Discussion and Assessment Toolkit (PCDAT)—a comprehensive, evidence-based framework designed to improve civility, optimize resources, and enhance communication, even in the MHS. Based on the Social-Ecological Model (SEM) and adapted from the Workplace Power and …

I Can't Stop: The Effects Of Psychological Climate For Overwork On Recovery Experiences, Jeffrey Drake Terry, Konstantin P. Cigularov

Psychology Faculty Publications

Recovery experiences are important for many health and well-being outcomes. One potential threat to an individual's recovery experiences in the workplace is psychological climate for overwork. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between psychological climate for overwork and recovery experiences. Using a multi-wave research design (N = 202), we found that psychological climate for overwork had direct effects on psychological detachment and indirect effects on psychological detachment and relaxation through cognitive workaholism and work-recovery guilt. These results suggest that psychological climate for overwork may contribute to an individual's experience of cognitive workaholism and work-recovery guilt, …

Compensation Transparency In The U.S. Healthcare Workforce, Brandon Perkins

Honors Projects

This study investigates how perceptions of pay transparency among U.S. healthcare workers relate to work engagement, burnout levels, and intentions to stay with their current institution. A quantitative survey was conducted of 200 clinical and non-clinical employees across academic, nonprofit, for-profit, and government healthcare organizations. Self-reported views of transparency were evaluated in relation to validated measures of work engagement, burnout, stay intentions, and pay secrecy. The results showed that increased perceived compensation transparency was highly connected with greater work engagement and lower levels of burnout. Both engagement and burnout appeared as major indicators of the employees' intentions to stay with …

Exploring Hiring Managers’ Strategies For Recruiting Diverse Educators In A Southeastern State, Keisa K. Davis Ma

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the strategies applied by hiring managers within one state in the southeastern United States to recruit diverse teachers. The purpose of the study was to explore hiring managers’ experiences and knowledge of minority teacher recruitment. The primary research question for this study was: What strategies do hiring managers in the school district under study find most effective in overcoming barriers to recruiting minority educators, and how do they measure their success? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and thematic coding was used to arrive at emerging themes, patterns, and perceptions. The findings revealed that while hiring managers …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Games Played In The Off-Season: A Teaching Case Study On Major League Baseball Arbitration And Game Theory, Rebekah Ansbro

The COSMA Journal

Each January and February, professional baseball players with three to six years of Major League service time endure a process exclusive to Major League Baseball (MLB): arbitration. Though arbitration itself is not an unfamiliar form of dispute resolution, the structure MLB employs in contract arbitration is unlike any other industry, as it incorporates an all-or-nothing result that does not allow arbitrators to “split the pie” between parties. Because of this, teams and players are not only responsible for preparation of their own arguments and filed salary, but also for anticipation of their opponent’s filed salary. The hurdle of needing to …

**Human Capital Migration And International Trade: A Comparative Case Study Of Germany And Austria, 2000 To 2024**, Jahnvi Jha

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

This study examines migration of people and international trade in Germany and Austria between 2000 and 2024. Both countries saw sharp rises in immigrant populations, with foreign-born residents reaching 18 percent in Germany and 22 percent in Austria, while their exports grew to record levels. The research explores whether human capital migration like workers bringing skills, education, and networks has complemented or substituted trade. Evidence shows migration often reduces barriers to commerce by creating trust, demand for home-country goods, and professional connections. Skilled workers in high-tech industries further boost export capacity. Contrary to fears that migrants might weaken competitiveness, the …

Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 38. Alfred Russel Wallace's "Revolt Of Democracy": A Critical Analysis Of Early 20th Century Labor Theory And Its Contemporary Relevance, James Williams, Charles H. Smith Editor

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

This article examines Alfred Russel Wallace’s political treatise The Revolt of Democracy (1913), analyzing his theoretical framework for addressing labor unrest and economic inequality in early 20th-century Britain. Wallace's work presents a comprehensive critique of competitive capitalism and proposes systematic government intervention to address structural poverty. Through close textual analysis and comparison with contemporary UK labor conditions, this study evaluates the enduring relevance of Wallace's economic theories and policy prescriptions. The analysis reveals significant continuities between early 20th-century and contemporary debates about living wages, government employment standards, and wealth redistribution, while highlighting both the prescience and limitations of Wallace’s analytical …

Industries, Self-Rated Health, And Status Characteristics: An Exploration Of Health In Industries At The Intersection Of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, And Disability, Emmanuel Legarreta

Dissertations and Theses

While industries, occupations, and health outcomes have been widely studied, research has neglected self-rated health (SRH) and the intersectionality of different status characteristics in various industries. Using an IPUMS version of the Current Population Survey, this study explores the possible relationships between industries and SRH. More specifically, it seeks to find if workers' disability status, racial minority status, or gender moderates (i.e., differentiates) the relationship between their industry and SRH. Findings show that certain industries are significant predictors of SRH, and that women with disabilities working in Mining and Construction, and Business and Repair Service have significantly worse SRH than …

The “Sweetest Sounding” Words Of Civil Rights: A Labor Origin Story Of The “Right To Work”, Thomas A. Castillo

History

This essay revisits the idea of “right to work” by offering historical context of Florida’s passage of its 1944 right to work constitutional amendment. A brief overview of the history of the term right to work and its contested nature indicates how the phrase likely led to confusion especially in the arena of political economy. A close evaluation of the amendment and its incongruent nature reveals the intent of its proponents was to deceive voters with the “sweetest sounding” words of civil rights while weakening their ability to organize labor unions. The history of safeguarding the free market entailed disciplining …

The Evolution Of Schooling: From Industrial Obedience To Techno-Autonomy, Seb Taylor, Ron Roberts Ii

Digital Laboratory: Publisher of Internet Journal

This paper examines the enduring architecture of the American education system as a mechanism designed for compliance, not creativity. Rooted in 19th-century industrial logic, the structure of schooling, its physical design, time constraints, and assessment methods, has remained largely static despite seismic cultural and technological shifts. Through historical analysis and contemporary critique, this work interrogates the persistence of standardized methods, institutional prestige, and top-down instruction as barriers to meaningful learning and value creation. Drawing from interdisciplinary research and live case studies, including Alpha School’s AI-powered, mastery-based model, the paper advances the concept of techno-education: a student-centered paradigm informed by feedback …

Competition In The Labor Market: The Wage Effect Of Employer Concentration In China, Jianan Liu, Hongbo Cai, Carl Lin

Faculty Journal Articles

Competition in the labor market theoretically leads to higher wages, yet empirical evidence to substantiate it, particularly in developing countries, has been sparse. Our study delves into the impact of increased competition in the labor market on workers' wages using a panel dataset from Chinese industrial firms spanning 1998 to 2013. Employing OLS and IV regressions, we demonstrate that a decrease in employer concentration is significantly linked to higher wages. The elasticities of employer concentration on wages fall within the range of −0.034 and −0.107. Additionally, our findings suggest that state-owned enterprises gained the most from this upswing in competition, …

Global Trends In Youth Employment: Key Statistics And Cultural Commentary, Anatolii Mazaraki, Tetiana Melnyk, Oksana Losheniuk

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

The issue of youth employment receives constant attention of global organizations, governments, and researchers. Young people have the potential to positively reshape the national and global economies. Furthermore, the youth also constantly reshape the social, cultural, technological, and political environments. Global unemployment rate among youth, however, is three times higher than among older workers. In 2023, one in five young people did not work, study, or acquire professional skills. The negative factors of the Ukrainian youth labor market have been significantly exacerbated by the war, which has caused an economic crisis in the country, a huge migration of young people, …

The Craft Of Tally: Tracing Marketability And Economic Sustainability Of Crafts, Mariam Mabrouk

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the marketability and economic sustainability of the Tally craft in Gezeirit

Shandaweel, Sohag, Egypt, with a focus on how the craft navigates the tension between cultural

preservation and economic adaptation. Tally, a traditional form of embroidery, has deep cultural

roots in Egypt but faces significant challenges due to global market dynamics, shifting consumer

preferences, and systemic institutional neglect. Through an ethnographic case study, this research

investigates how artisans, institutions, and market forces interact to shape the craft's future. The

study examines the role of cultural perceptions, innovation, and institutional support in fostering

or hindering Tally's economic viability. …

Exploring Contributions Of Partnerships Between Employers And Disability Organizations On Recruitment, Hiring, Training, Retention, And Accommodation Of Individuals With Disabilities In Mississippi, Peter Oluwadare Kalejaiye

Dissertations

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 provides equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities (IWDs) by prohibiting discrimination in employment. However, one out of four IWDs face discrimination in employment in the United States (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). Additionally, despite establishing the Office of Disability Employment Policy and enacting the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to help integrate IWDs into the workforce, IWDs face barriers to equal and equitable employment (NASEM, 2017). Previous studies recommend partnerships between employers and disability organizations (DOs) to provide employment opportunities and benefits for IWDs through recruitment, hiring, training, retention, and …

Support, School Climate And Teacher Wellbeing In The Wake Of Covid-19: A National Study Using Ntsp Data, Annastashia M. Teepe

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Research indicates a significant number of teachers planned to leave the profession following the COVID-19 pandemic, with national surveys in 2021 revealing about 25% considering departure. Stress, low pay, remote teaching demands, and lack of support contributed to attrition, impacting school climate, which influences productivity, collaboration, and job satisfaction, and is inversely related to turnover. The shift to remote learning also demanded new skills and exposed technological disparities. This quantitative study examined the pandemic's impact on teachers' perceptions of school climate, support, resources, job satisfaction, burnout, and intent to leave using the 2020–2021 National Teacher and Principal Survey. Factor analyses …

From Doing Business To B-Ready: World Bank’S New Rankings Represent A Rebrand, Not A Revamp, Fernanda G. Nicola, Dhaisy Paredes Guzman

Popular Media

In 2021, the World Bank shut down one of its flagship projects: the Doing Business index, a global ranking system that measured how easy it was to start and run a business in 190 countries. It followed an independent investigation that found World Bank officials had manipulated the rankings to favor powerful countries, including China and Saudi Arabia. The scandal raised serious concerns about the use of global benchmarks to shape development policy. Now, the Bank is trying again. In October 2024, it launched its newest flagship report, Business Ready. The 2025 spring meeting of the World Bank and its …

A Beautiful Mind Meets Harsh Reality: Practical Tips For Negotiators When Bargaining Strays From Ideal Conditions, Christopher C. Douglas, Ellen Grachek, Allyson Strickland, Marie Waung

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

Bilateral bargaining theory developed by mathematician and Nobel Laureate John Nash predicts that when both parties have full information, a deal is quickly reached without a strike. Such a situation represents ideal conditions, which the real world does not match. However, Nash Bargaining presents a useful baseline for bargaining teams. We discuss deviations from ideal conditions that bargaining teams are likely to face and tactics for overcoming them with the goal of reaching an agreement while avoiding a strike. This paper’s focus draws from our experience negotiating a contract for non-tenure track faculty across the three University of Michigan campuses, …