Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Are Participants Good Evaluators?, Jeffrey A. Smith, Alexander Whalley, Nathaniel T. Wilcox

Upjohn Press

Managers of workforce training programs are often unable to afford costly, full-fledged experimental or nonexperimental evaluations to determine their programs’ impacts. Therefore, many rely on the survey responses of program participants to gauge program impacts.

Smith, Whalley, and Wilcox present the first attempt to assess such measures despite their already widespread use in program evaluations. They develop a multidisciplinary framework for addressing the issue and apply it to three case studies: the National Job Training Partnership Act Study, the U.S. National Supported Work Demonstration, and the Connecticut Jobs First Program.

Each of these studies were subjected to experimental evaluations that …

Data Science In The Public Interest: Improving Government Performance In The Workforce, Joshua D. Hawley

Upjohn Press

This book is about how new and underutilized types of big data sources can inform public policy decisions related to workforce development. Hawley describes how government is currently using data to inform decisions about the workforce at the state and local levels. He then moves beyond standardized performance metrics designed to serve federal agency requirements and discusses how government can improve data gathering and analysis to provide better, up-to-date information for government decision making.

Pathways To Careers In Health Care, Christopher T. King Editor, Philip Young P. Hong Editor

Upjohn Press

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010 effected major changes in the financing and delivery of health care in the United States. It also authorized creation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants program (HPOG), a demonstration effort within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide opportunities for education and training that lead to jobs and career advancement in health care for recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other low-income individuals and to respond to the increasing demand for health care professionals. …

Lessons Learned From Public Workforce Program Experiments, Stephen A. Wandner Editor

Upjohn Press

This book chronicles many of the most important experiments and the key lessons derived from the evaluations of both existing large-scale public workforce programs and the development of new interventions—including low-cost experiments based on behavioral science methods.

The Stem Dilemma: Skills That Matter To Regions, Fran Stewart

Upjohn Press

Fran Stewart dives into the murky waters where education and economic goals meet to confront several key issues facing policymakers and educators, including the role of public investment in human capital, the types of human capital investment that provide the greatest public return, and whether those investments should vary by region.

She shows that not all high-paying jobs require STEM skills; that not all good-paying, highly skilled STEM jobs require college degrees; and that "soft skills" are important for STEM as well as other high-paying jobs.

Confronting Policy Challenges Of The Great Recession: Lessons For Macroeconomic Policy, Eskander Alvi Editor

Upjohn Press

This book presents several notable economists who describe the perils the economy faced during the Great Recession and the policies—some successful, others not so much—that were implemented and why. By now, economists have had nearly a decade to examine the causes and consequences of the damage wrought by the Great Recession, and to assess the ensuing efforts to right the economy. The unprecedented losses, which spread across the global economy, posed extraordinary challenges for central bankers and policymakers alike, who were forced to throw out the playbook and create new, untested means for restoring growth.

The New Scarlet Letter? Negotiating The U.S. Labor Market With A Criminal Record, Steven Raphael

Upjohn Press

This book explores the difficulties facing ex-offenders as they try to enter and remain in the U.S. labor market.

The Road Through The Rust Belt: From Preeminence To Decline To Prosperity, William M. Bowen, Editor

Upjohn Press

The chapters in this book explore reasons for the decline of "Rust Belt" cities and the often innovative responses of local leaders and entrepreneurs that are helping to revive these areas.

The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act: The Role Of Workforce Programs, Burt S. Barnow Editor, Richard A. Hobbie Editor

Upjohn Press

This book examines the nature of the workforce development and UI policy decisions made nationwide in response to the recession, state and local administrators’ perspectives on the policy developments and economic challenges, and implementation of key Recovery Act provisions, with a particular focus on workforce development initiatives in the Recovery Act.

Occupational Labor Shortages : Concepts, Causes, Consequences, And Cures, Burt S. Barnow, John Trutko, Jaclyn Schede Piatak

Upjohn Press

There has long been concern that shortages sometimes develop and persist in specific occupations, leading to inefficiencies in the U.S. economy. This book will help readers understand why occupational shortages arise, how to know a shortage when it is present, and to assess strategies to alleviate the shortage. As the authors show, many economists, including several U.S. Nobel Prize winners, have studied occupational shortages, and this volume builds on their work.

Tackling Unemployment: The Legislative Dynamics Of The Employment Act Of 1946, Ruth Ellen Wasem

Upjohn Press

Wasem examines the impacts and implications of the Employment Act of 1946 and discusses how provisions of the Act might be useful for today's policymakers.

The Workforce Investment Act: Implementation Experiences And Evaluation Findings, Douglas J. Besharov Editor, Phoebe H. Cottingham Editor

Upjohn Press

This volume examines WIA’s objectives and the evidence on program performance and impact. The chapters are organized into five general areas: 1) understanding WIA, 2) program implementation, 3) performance management, 4) impact evaluations, and 5) future evaluation choices.

What Works In Work-First Welfare: Designing And Managing Employment Programs In New York City, Andrew R. Feldman

Upjohn Press

This book is a case study of how New York City's welfare-to-work programs were managed and implemented in the mid 2000s. Feldman also analyzes the unique characteristics that differentiate it from other programs in place across the country.

The Performance Of Performance Standards, James J. Heckman Editor, Carolyn J. Heinrich Editor, Pascal Courty Editor, Gerald Marschke Editor, Jeffrey A. Smith Editor

Upjohn Press

Using a variety of data sources, the contributors explore how performance standards and incentives affect the behavior of public managers and agency employees, their approaches to service delivery, and ultimately, the outcomes for participants.

Mothers' Work And Children's Lives: Low-Income Families After Welfare Reform, Rucker C. Johnson, Ariel Kalil, Rachel E. Dunifon

Upjohn Press

This book examines the effects of work requirements imposed by welfare reform on low-income women and their families. The authors pay particular attention to the nature of work—whether it is stable or unstable, the number of hours worked in a week and the regularity and flexibility of work schedules. They also show how these factors make it more difficult for low-income women to balance their work and family requirements.

Solving The Reemployment Puzzle: From Research To Policy, Stephen A. Wandner

Upjohn Press

Wandner examines the research and evaluation of U.S. employment and training programs over the past 25 years. He also discusses the impact such research can have and how misuse of research findings can hamper program effectiveness.

Human Resource Economics And Public Policy: Essays In Honor Of Vernon M. Briggs Jr., Charles J. Whalen Editor

Upjohn Press

This book pays tribute to Vernon Briggs and his enduring mark on the study of human resources. The chapters, by his students and colleagues, explore and extend Briggs’s work on employment, education and training, immigration, and local labor markets. His unwavering emphasis on institutional reality, public policy, and economic dynamics animates the entire collection.

Working After Welfare: How Women Balance Jobs And Family In The Wake Of Welfare Reform, Kristin S. Seefeldt

Upjohn Press

This book, tapping into the quantitative and qualitative evidence gathered in the Women’s Employment Study (WES), offers insights into the lives of women in an urban Michigan county who left welfare for work and the role their family decisions play in their labor market decisions.

The Working Life: The Labor Market For Workers In Low-Skilled Jobs, Nan L. Maxwell

Upjohn Press

Maxwell presents the results of a survey of 405 employers, which queried them about jobs requiring no more than a high school education and no more than one year of work experience. These data allow her to establish the link between skills and low-skilled jobs and to reveal the current state of the labor market facing low-skilled workers. The data also highlights the knowledge and skills that employers require in low-skilled jobs and the abilities that individuals who apply for those jobs bring to the table.

Job Training That Gets Results: Ten Principles Of Effective Employment Programs, Michael Bernick

Upjohn Press

Bernick shows the types of training programs that work and describes for whom they work. He identifies ways to improve performance among Workforce Investment Act (WIA) contractors while exploring the best uses for state discretionary WIA funds. He also describes what it takes to make an effective career ladder program, how postemployment welfare retention or skill advancement programs can succeed, and the type of training that workers with disabilities must go through to get and retain jobs.

Welfare And Work: Experiences In Six Cities, Christopher T. King, Peter R. Mueser

Upjohn Press

King and Mueser examine changes in welfare participation and labor market involvement of welfare recipients in six major cities during the 1990s. By focusing on these six cities (Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, and Kansas City) they are able to glean the extent to which differences in state and local policy, administrative directives, and local labor market conditions contribute to the trends in caseloads, employment, and well-being observed among former recipients.

Labor Exchange Policy In The United States, David E. Balducchi Editor, Randall W. Eberts Editor, Christopher J. O'Leary Editor

Upjohn Press

This book describes the evolution of labor exchange policy in the United States, summarizes the major findings about the effectiveness of labor exchange services, and offers reflections on the future for labor exchange policy. In addition, the contributors provide an international perspective on job brokerage functions and a discussion on the appropriate role for governments in helping job seekers and employers make the proper job match.

Leaving Welfare: Employment And Well-Being Of Families That Left Welfare In The Post-Entitlement Era, Gregory Acs, Pamela Loprest

Upjohn Press

Acs and Loprest pull together information from a host of leaver studies to provide a bottom line assessment of what was learned. They compare welfare leaver outcomes across geographic areas and the nation as a whole. This effort allows them to paint a comprehensive picture of the employment, income, and hardships families experience after leaving welfare.

Job Training Policy In The United States, Christopher J. O'Leary Editor, Robert A. Straits Editor, Stephen A. Wandner Editor

Upjohn Press

This book provides a broad overview of federally funded job training programs as they exist today. The notable list of contributors review what training consists of and how training programs are implemented under WIA. In particular, they examine training service providers and methods of delivering training services, including the use of individual training accounts and eligible training provider lists. Performance management under WIA is examined, as well as the effectiveness of training programs. In addition, public training programs are compared to private training provided in the United States and to public training programs offered in other industrial nations.

Training That Works: Lessons From California's Employment Training Panel Program, Richard W. Moore, Daniel R. Blake, G. Michael Phillips, Daniel Mcconaughy

Upjohn Press

The authors provide an in-depth analysis of an incumbent worker training program funded through California's unemployment insurance taxes.

Workplace Education For Low-Wage Workers, Amanda L. Ahlstrand, Laurie J. Bassi, Daniel P. Mcmurrer

Upjohn Press

This study reports on employers' practices and decision-making procedures with regards to workplace education and training for low-wage workers.

Targeting Employment Services, Randall W. Eberts Editor, Christopher J. O'Leary Editor, Stephen A. Wandner Editor

Upjohn Press

This book offers a thorough overview of the U.S. experience with targeting reemployment services and self-employment assistance to UI beneficiaries most likely to exhaust benefits. The authors also suggest other programs that might benefit from targeting, examine Canadian efforts at targeting reemployment services, and consider prospects for a new Frontline Decision Support System for one-stop centers.

Rural Dimensions Of Welfare Reform, Bruce A. Weber Editor, Greg J. Duncan Editor, Leslie A. Whitener Editor

Upjohn Press

This volume presents a comprehensive look at how welfare reforms enacted in 1996 are affecting caseloads, employment, earnings, and family well-being in rural areas.

Skill-Biased Technological Change: Evidence From A Firm-Level Survey, Donald S. Siegel

Upjohn Press

Siegel provides evidence that technology adoption is associated with downsizing, skill upgrading, greater employee empowerment, and a widening wage gap. Unlike previous studies that use industry-level data, Siegel collected firm-level data on technology usage and labor composition which enable him to link the magnitude of labor market outcomes for six classes of workers to the types of technologies implemented.

Economic Conditions And Welfare Reform, Sheldon Danziger Editor

Upjohn Press

The relationship between welfare caseloads and the economy is one of the key issues addressed in this book. Using the most current data available, a group of the nation's leading researchers examines the effects of welfare reform prior to and after enactment of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA).