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Labor Economics

2004

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Articles 1 - 30 of 56

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Economic Impact Of Methamphetamine Use In Benton County, Arkansas, Jeffery T. Collins Dec 2004

The Economic Impact Of Methamphetamine Use In Benton County, Arkansas, Jeffery T. Collins

Publications and Presentations

Methamphetamine use among the employed population is on the rise as general methamphetamine use increases. Many employers are unaware of the extent of the methamphetamine crisis and the harmful effects that employee methamphetamine use has on the firm. While methamphetamine use is associated with tremendous expenses for society in the form of direct health care, law enforcement, and environmental costs, this study focuses exclusively on the increased costs that firms bear as a result of the methamphetamine use of their employees. The Benton County Methamphetamine Task Force commissioned this project from the Center for Business and Economic Research in the …

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Trend And Cycle Analysis Of Unemployment Insurance And The Employment Service, Wayne Vroman, Stephen A. Woodbury Dec 2004

Trend And Cycle Analysis Of Unemployment Insurance And The Employment Service, Wayne Vroman, Stephen A. Woodbury

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

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Trend And Cycle Analysis Of Unemployment Insurance And The Employment Service, Wayne Vroman, Stephen A. Woodbury Dec 2004

Trend And Cycle Analysis Of Unemployment Insurance And The Employment Service, Wayne Vroman, Stephen A. Woodbury

External Papers and Reports

This report traces historical developments in two major DOL programs: State Unemployment Insurance (UI) and the federal-state Employment Service (ES). Developments in the UI program are traced from the late 1940s while ES program activities are traced from the late 1960s. For both programs, the report emphasizes long term trends as well as changes that have occurred over the course of the business cycle. The analysis uses annual data and is conducted at three levels of geographic detail: national, regional and state. A major objective of the project was to create data files useful for other researchers in studying the …

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Upgrading California’S Home Care Workforce: The Impact Of Political Action And Unionization, Candace Howes Nov 2004

Upgrading California’S Home Care Workforce: The Impact Of Political Action And Unionization, Candace Howes

Economics Faculty Publications

Candace Howes examines the recent history of one of California's rapidly growing occupations: home care. As the author's analysis demonstrates, home care has been extensively transformed in recent years through large-scale unionization and coalition-based political action, which have led to major improvements in wages and benefits. Apart from providing many home care workers with better pay, the upgrading of this occupation has also improved the quality of care that clients receive, since higher wages make for lower turnover. The improved working and living conditions that result benefit caregivers and those they serve alike. The author's empirical analysis has obvious ramifications …

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The Effect Of Income Taxation On Consumption And Labor Supply, James P. Ziliak, Thomas J. Kniesner Nov 2004

The Effect Of Income Taxation On Consumption And Labor Supply, James P. Ziliak, Thomas J. Kniesner

Center for Policy Research

We estimate the incentive effects of income taxation in a life-cycle model of consumption and labor supply that relaxes the standard assumption of strong separability within periods. Our model permits identification of both within-period preference parameters and lifecycle preference parameters such as the inter-temporal substitution elasticity. Results indicate that consumption and hours worked are direct complements in utility, and both increase with an increase in the after-tax share and with a compensated increase in the net wage. The compensated net wage elasticity is about 0.3, nearly double the standard estimates for men in the United States that ignore within-period non-separability …

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Work And Retirement Plans Among Older Americans, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman Oct 2004

Work And Retirement Plans Among Older Americans, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

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Some Reflections On The Use Of Administrative Data To Estimate The Net Impacts Of Workforce Programs In Washington State, Kevin M. Hollenbeck Oct 2004

Some Reflections On The Use Of Administrative Data To Estimate The Net Impacts Of Workforce Programs In Washington State, Kevin M. Hollenbeck

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the results, methodology, and processes used in a series of net labor market impact studies done for the State of Washington over the past six years. All of the studies relied on administrative data and used a technique referred to as quasi-experimental evaluation. The program interventions were the federal- and state-funded workforce development programs. The paper sets out eight "reflections" for analysts and policy makers to consider. These reflections identify lessons learned and uncertainties or issues that need more consideration and scrutiny.

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What Kind Of Labor Market Awaits Low-Income Workers?, Françoise Carré Sep 2004

What Kind Of Labor Market Awaits Low-Income Workers?, Françoise Carré

New England Journal of Public Policy

This essay highlights changes in the context of the labor market for low-income people, particularly mothers. It briefly reviews labor market trends and policies. It then highlights the challenges faced by such workers. The essay argues for a shift in thinking and policy advocacy to encompass the world of work, and its domination by business imperatives and language, and thus better represent poor people’s concerns in the policy world.

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Instructors' Manual On Achieving Health And Safety In The Building And Repair Of Ships And Boats, William Murphy, James Nicholson Sep 2004

Instructors' Manual On Achieving Health And Safety In The Building And Repair Of Ships And Boats, William Murphy, James Nicholson

Bureau of Labor Education

This instructors' manual contains step by step approaches that instructors can use when teaching from the project book entitled: Achieving Health and Safety in the Building and Repair of Ships and Boats. The chapters in this manual match those contained in the book.

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Achieving Health And Safety In The Building And Repair Of Ships And Boats, William Murphy, James Nicholson, Valerie Carter, Jane Crouch Sep 2004

Achieving Health And Safety In The Building And Repair Of Ships And Boats, William Murphy, James Nicholson, Valerie Carter, Jane Crouch

Bureau of Labor Education

In 2002 there were over 5,500 fatalities reported by industries in the United States. A total of 4.7 million injuries and illnesses were reported in private sector workplaces in 2002, resulting in a rate of 5.3 cases per 100 equivalent fulltime workers. The Liberty Mutual 2002 Workplace Safety Index estimates that direct costs for occupational injuries in 1999 rose to $40.1 billion, with indirect costs reaching over $200 billion. Shipyard work is very hazardous, with an injury-illness incidence rate of 16.6 that is more than twice that of construction and general industry.4 While boatyard work is more diverse, and usually …

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Rural Community Economic Development Project Update, University Of Montana Rural Institute Sep 2004

Rural Community Economic Development Project Update, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors who serve rural areas report that limited employment opportunities for people with disabilities are a significant challenge. Many rural communities have marginal or fragile economies, but lack the resources to conduct economic development projects that could lead to business and employment growth. In Progress Report #13, we described an innovative program that helps VR agencies and people with disabilities take a leadership role in small-town economic development efforts. To date, RTC: Rural’s Community Economic Development Project has been implemented in two rural locations. The Project builds on the capacities of state/federal Vocational Rehabilitation agencies and people …

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A Database Accountability System For The Michigan Career Preparation System, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Jason M. Preuss Sep 2004

A Database Accountability System For The Michigan Career Preparation System, Kevin M. Hollenbeck, Jason M. Preuss

Reports

No abstract provided.

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Single Mothers Working At Night: Standard Work, Child Care Subsidies, And Implications For Welfare Reform, Erdal Tekin Sep 2004

Single Mothers Working At Night: Standard Work, Child Care Subsidies, And Implications For Welfare Reform, Erdal Tekin

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper estimates the effect of child care subsidies on the standard work decision of single mothers and examines whether this effect differs between welfare recipients and nonrecipients. The analysis uses data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families. Results suggest that child care subsidy receipt is associated with a 6.9 percentage point increase in the probability of single mothers' working at standard jobs. When the effect of subsidy receipt is allowed to differ between welfare recipients and nonrecipients, results indicate that welfare recipients who are offered a child care subsidy are 14 percentage points more likely to work …

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Job Reallocation And Productivity Growth In The Ukrainian Transition, J. David Brown, John S. Earle Sep 2004

Job Reallocation And Productivity Growth In The Ukrainian Transition, J. David Brown, John S. Earle

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

We analyze the pace and patterns of job reallocation in Ukraine using 1992-2000 panel data on nearly the surviving universe of manufacturing firms inherited from the Soviet Union. Employment growth displays substantial increase in heterogeneity during this transition period, with a corresponding rise in excess job reallocation. Unlike data for Soviet Russia in the 1980s, Ukrainian job reallocation in the 1990s was clearly productivity-enhancing, both within and cross industries. The paper also estimates the effects of firm and market characteristics on the magnitude of reallocation and on the extent to which it has contributed to aggregate productivity growth.

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Using Administrative Data For Workforce Development Program Evaluation, Kevin M. Hollenbeck Aug 2004

Using Administrative Data For Workforce Development Program Evaluation, Kevin M. Hollenbeck

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper addresses the question of whether administrative data that are collected for performance monitoring purposes can be used for program evaluation. It argues that under certain circumstances, such data can be used. In particular, data from the state of Washington are used to examine the effectiveness of services provided to adults under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The general theme of an emerging literature on techniques for nonexperimental evaluations of social programs is that many different techniques have appropriate asymptotic properties. A contribution of this paper is to examine the sensitivity of net impact estimators to various estimation techniques. …

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Regression Approach To Adjust Wia Performance Standards, Timothy J. Bartik, Randall W. Eberts, Kenneth J. Kline Jul 2004

Regression Approach To Adjust Wia Performance Standards, Timothy J. Bartik, Randall W. Eberts, Kenneth J. Kline

Presentations

No abstract provided.

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A New Look At Labor Exchange Policy, Christopher J. O'Leary, David E. Balducchi Jul 2004

A New Look At Labor Exchange Policy, Christopher J. O'Leary, David E. Balducchi

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

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Linking Health, Secondary Conditions And Employment Outcomes, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute Jul 2004

Linking Health, Secondary Conditions And Employment Outcomes, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

Health is important to securing and maintaining employment, but for many low-income or unemployed people access to health promotion programs is limited. This is a problem for many people with disabilities who do not work and who rely on Medicare or Medicaid to cover their healthcare costs. Without access to programs that promote health and reduce secondary conditions, people with disabilities may find it difficult to get a job or stay employed. This may be a factor in this group’s persistently high unemployment rates. Participation in worksite health promotion programs has been shown to (1) increase employee productivity through reduced …

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What Are Jobs Worth?, Joseph Persky, Daniel Felsenstein, Virginia Carlson Jul 2004

What Are Jobs Worth?, Joseph Persky, Daniel Felsenstein, Virginia Carlson

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

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Work And Retirement Plans Among Older Americans, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman Jul 2004

Work And Retirement Plans Among Older Americans, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

We compare older workers' plans for work and retirement with their subsequent work and retirement outcomes using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study. Among those with retirement plans, about half indicate they would like to cut back on their work hours or otherwise change the type of work they do prior to, or instead of, fully retiring. Yet, the fraction that follows through on these alternative plans is dramatically lower than the fraction that realizes plans to stop working. Our analysis shows that individuals who likely would need to change jobs in order to reduce their work hours …

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Small Cities Blues: Looking For Growth Factors In Small And Medium-Sized Cities, George A. Erickcek, Hannah J. Mckinney Jun 2004

Small Cities Blues: Looking For Growth Factors In Small And Medium-Sized Cities, George A. Erickcek, Hannah J. Mckinney

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The purpose of this exploratory study is to attempt to identify particular public policies which have the potential to increase the economic viability of smaller metropolitan areas and cities. We identify characteristics associated with smaller metro areas that performed better-than-expected (winners) and worse-than-expected (losers) during the 1990s, given their resources, industrial mix, and location as of 1990. Once these characteristics have been identified, we look for evidence that public policy choices may have promoted and enhanced a metro area's ability to succeed and to regain control of its own economic destiny. Methodologically, we construct a regression model which identifies the …

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Personal Reemployment Accounts: Simulations For Planning Implementation, Christopher J. O'Leary, Randall W. Eberts May 2004

Personal Reemployment Accounts: Simulations For Planning Implementation, Christopher J. O'Leary, Randall W. Eberts

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The proposed Back to Work Incentive Act of 2003 recommended personal reemployment accounts (PRAs) that would provide each eligible unemployment insurance (UI) claimant with a special account of up to 3,000 [dollars] to finance reemployment activities. Account funds could be used to purchase intensive, supportive, and job training services. Any funds remaining in the PRA could be paid as a cash bonus for reemployment within 13 weeks, or drawn as extended income maintenance for exhaustees of regular UI benefits. Personal reemployment account offers would be targeted to UI beneficiaries most likely to exhaust their UI entitlements using state Worker Profiling …

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Vickrey Auctions With Reserve Pricing, Peter Cramton, Lawrence M. Ausubel Apr 2004

Vickrey Auctions With Reserve Pricing, Peter Cramton, Lawrence M. Ausubel

Peter Cramton

We generalize the Vickrey auction to allow for reserve pricing in a multi-unit auction with interdependent values. In the Vickrey auction with reserve pricing, the seller determines the quantity to be made available as a function of the bidders’ reports of private information, and then efficiently allocates this quantity among the bidders. Truthful bidding is a dominant strategy with private values and an ex post equilibrium with interdependent values. If the auction is followed by resale, then truthful bidding remains an equilibrium in the auction-plus-resale game. In settings with perfect resale, the Vickrey auction with reserve pricing maximizes seller revenues.

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Auctioning Many Divisible Goods, Peter Cramton, Lawrence M. Ausubel Apr 2004

Auctioning Many Divisible Goods, Peter Cramton, Lawrence M. Ausubel

Peter Cramton

We study the theory and practical implementation of auctioning many divisible goods. With multiple related goods, price discovery is important not only to reduce the winner’s curse, but more importantly, to simplify the bidder’s decision problem and to facilitate the revelation of preferences in the bids. Simultaneous clock auctions are especially desirable formats for auctioning many divisible goods. We examine the properties of these auctions and discuss important practical considerations in applying them.

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Globalization, Adjustment, And Compensation, Carl Davidson, Steven J. Matusz Apr 2004

Globalization, Adjustment, And Compensation, Carl Davidson, Steven J. Matusz

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

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Determinants Of Public Sector Wages In Nigeria, Moses Kpughur. Tule Mar 2004

Determinants Of Public Sector Wages In Nigeria, Moses Kpughur. Tule

Economic and Financial Review

This paper discusses the determinants of public sector wages in Nigeria. Using quarterly time series data for 1970-2001, and employing the error correction methodology, the paper identified Trade Disputes, Cost of Living, previous Work Experience and Productivity to be the main determinants. It found the wage level to be inadequate for a decent standard of living, and noted the effects of inappropriate wages on public sector productivity to include personnel attrition, labour freelancing as well as corruption.

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Iatrogenic Specification Error: A Cautionary Tale Of Cleaning Data, Christopher R. Bollinger, Amitabh Chandra Mar 2004

Iatrogenic Specification Error: A Cautionary Tale Of Cleaning Data, Christopher R. Bollinger, Amitabh Chandra

Dartmouth Scholarship

In empirical research it is common practice to use sensible rules of thumb for cleaning data. Measurement error is often the justification for removing (trimming) or recoding (winsorizing) observations whose values lie outside a specified range. We consider a general measurement error process that nests many pl ausible models. Analytic results demonstrate that winsorizing and trimming are only solutions for a narrow class of measurement error processes. Indeed, for the measurement error processes found in most social-science data, such procedures can induce or exacerbate bias, and even inflate the variance estimates. We term this source of bias “Iatrogenic” (or econometrician …

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Trade, Capital Accumulation And Structural Unemployment: An Empirical Study Of The Singapore Economy, Hiau Looi Kee, Hian Teck Hoon Mar 2004

Trade, Capital Accumulation And Structural Unemployment: An Empirical Study Of The Singapore Economy, Hiau Looi Kee, Hian Teck Hoon

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper studies the factors responsible for the secular decline of Singapore’s unemployment rate over the period 1966-2000 in an environment of low and stable inflation rates. We introduce wage bargaining and unions into a specific-factors, two-sector economy with an export sector and a non-tradable sector to obtain an endogenous natural unemployment rate. Increases in the relative export price and capital stock in the export sector are predicted to reduce structural unemployment. These hypotheses could not be rejected based on structural estimations and co-integration regressions. Empirically, capital accumulation in the export sector explains most of the decline in Singapore’s unemployment …

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Competitive Auction Markets In British Columbia, Peter Cramton, Susan Athey Feb 2004

Competitive Auction Markets In British Columbia, Peter Cramton, Susan Athey

Peter Cramton

US-Canada Softwood Lumber Trade Dispute, On behalf of British Columbia Ministry of Forests.

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Ui Work Search Rules And Their Effects On Employment, Christopher J. O'Leary Feb 2004

Ui Work Search Rules And Their Effects On Employment, Christopher J. O'Leary

Reports

This paper summarizes state unemployment insurance (UI) job search policies based on a survey of state rules conducted in 2003 by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA). Commonalities in policies are identified and a summary of research evidence on the effects of job search assistance (JSA) is then presented. The conclusion considers promising directions for future research and policy.

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