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Full-Text Articles in Labor Economics

Single Mothers, Social Capital, And Work-Family Conflict, Teresa Ciabattari Jan 2005

Single Mothers, Social Capital, And Work-Family Conflict, Teresa Ciabattari

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The purpose of this paper is to examine work-family conflict among low-income, unmarried mothers. I examine how social capital affects work-family conflict and how both social capital and work-family conflict affect employment. I analyze the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national sample of non-marital births collected in 1998-2000 and 1999-2002. Results show that social capital reduces unmarried mothers' reports of work-family conflict, especially for low-income women. In addition, mothers who report high levels of work-family conflict are less likely to be employed; this pattern holds for women who are not looking for work as well as those who …


Do Temporary Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes For Low-Skilled Workers? Evidence From Random Assignments, David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman Jan 2005

Do Temporary Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes For Low-Skilled Workers? Evidence From Random Assignments, David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

A disproportionate share of low-skilled U.S. workers is employed by temporary help firms. These firms offer rapid entry into paid employment, but temporary help jobs are typically brief and it is unknown whether they foster longer-term employment. We draw upon an unusual, large-scale policy experiment in the state of Michigan to evaluate whether holding temporary help jobs facilitates labor market advancement for low-skilled workers. To identify these effects, we exploit the random assignment of welfare-to-work clients across numerous welfare service providers in a major metropolitan area. These providers feature substantially different placement rates at temporary help jobs but offer otherwise …


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.


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 …


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.


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 …


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.


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.


Does "Trickle Down" Work?: Economic Development Strategies And Job Chains In Local Labor Markets, Joseph Persky, Daniel Felsenstein, Virginia Carlson Jan 2004

Does "Trickle Down" Work?: Economic Development Strategies And Job Chains In Local Labor Markets, Joseph Persky, Daniel Felsenstein, Virginia Carlson

Upjohn Press

Persky, Felsenstein, and Carlson explore a new framework for evaluating state and local economic development efforts. They propose a method, referred to as the “job-chains approach,” that they say clarifies the potential justifications for economic development subsidies as well as the limitations surrounding these efforts. This innovative approach addresses not only the number of job vacancies created as a result of a subsidized business investment or expansion, but also the extent to which gains are achieved by the unemployed and the underemployed, whether skilled or unskilled.


Kids At Work: The Value Of Employer-Sponsored On-Site Child Care Centers, Rachel Connelly, Deborah S. Degraff, Rachel A. Willis Jan 2004

Kids At Work: The Value Of Employer-Sponsored On-Site Child Care Centers, Rachel Connelly, Deborah S. Degraff, Rachel A. Willis

Upjohn Press

Connelly, DeGraff, and Willis chronicle the trends in the growth in on-site child care programs and perform analyses that shed light on the value of employer-sponsored child care to employees. The authors note that employees may not be the only ones to benefit. Employers may be able to gain wage savings for the firm.


International Trade And Labor Markets: Theory, Evidence, And Policy Implications, Carl Davidson, Steven J. Matusz Jan 2004

International Trade And Labor Markets: Theory, Evidence, And Policy Implications, Carl Davidson, Steven J. Matusz

Upjohn Press

Davidson and Matusz develop simple yet compelling models that allow for documented differences in labor markets across countries in order to investigate the impact of trade and trade policies on society's underclass.


Workplace Justice Without Unions, Hoyt N. Wheeler, Brian S. Klaas, Douglas M. Mahony Jan 2004

Workplace Justice Without Unions, Hoyt N. Wheeler, Brian S. Klaas, Douglas M. Mahony

Upjohn Press

Wheeler, Klaas, and Mahony provide a thorough analysis of organizational justice systems by exploring nonunion systems of workplace justice and comparing them with the union system, American courts, and systems in 11 other countries.


Community Norms And Organizational Practices: The Legitimization Of Wage Arrears In Russia, 1992-1999, John S. Earle, Andrew Spicer, Klara Sabirianova Peter Dec 2003

Community Norms And Organizational Practices: The Legitimization Of Wage Arrears In Russia, 1992-1999, John S. Earle, Andrew Spicer, Klara Sabirianova Peter

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

What role do community norms play in the diffusion and persistence of new organizational practices? We explore this question through an examination of the widespread practice of wage arrears, the late and non-payment of wages, in Russia during the 1990s. Existing research on wage arrears most often examines this practice as a means of flexible wage adjustment under difficult economic conditions. We develop an alternative theory that explains wage arrears through their acceptance as a legitimate form of organizational behavior within local communities. Our empirical analysis finds some support for the neoclassical position that wage arrears reflect adjustment to negative …


Upjohn Institute Hosts Research Conference On Microeconomic Analyses Of Labor Reallocation, John S. Earle Oct 2003

Upjohn Institute Hosts Research Conference On Microeconomic Analyses Of Labor Reallocation, John S. Earle

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.


Job Creation, Job Destruction, And International Competition, Michael W. Klein, Scott Schuh, Robert K. Triest Jan 2003

Job Creation, Job Destruction, And International Competition, Michael W. Klein, Scott Schuh, Robert K. Triest

Upjohn Press

The authors present a picture of how the effects of international trade on employment in U.S. manufacturing industries vary widely. They explore the labor-market dynamics and adjustment costs associated with international factors, particularly the way fluctuations in exchange rates, overseas economic activity, and the altering of trade restrictions contribute to churning-the simultaneous job creation among some firms and job destruction among others.


Labor Standards In The United States And Canada, Richard N. Block, Ronald O. Clarke, Karen Roberts Jan 2003

Labor Standards In The United States And Canada, Richard N. Block, Ronald O. Clarke, Karen Roberts

Upjohn Press

Block, Roberts, and Clarke offer a method for comparing ten labor standards across political jurisdictions. They then apply this method to the United States and Canada, an exercise that allows them to settle the long-running dispute over whether or not Canada has higher standards than the U.S., and if so, to what degree.


Nonstandard Work In Developed Economies: Causes And Consequences, Susan N. Houseman Editor, Machiko Osawa Editor Jan 2003

Nonstandard Work In Developed Economies: Causes And Consequences, Susan N. Houseman Editor, Machiko Osawa Editor

Upjohn Press

This book reveals the considerable variation in the levels of growth in a broad set of nonstandard work arrangements while presenting a comprehensive view of how, as a result, the nature of the employment relationship is changing within and among countries. The international roster of economists, sociologists, and labor law experts who contributed draw on cross-country variations in economic conditions and institutional characteristics to explain why some arrangements have grown faster in some countries than in others and what this means for workers. By considering a broad array of nonstandard work arrangements in a number of economies, the authors provide …


Bargaining For Competitiveness: Law, Research, And Case Studies, Richard N. Block Editor Jan 2003

Bargaining For Competitiveness: Law, Research, And Case Studies, Richard N. Block Editor

Upjohn Press

This book offers an analysis of the relationship among collective bargaining, firm competitiveness, and employment protections and creation in the United States. The contributors provide an overview of the legal framework and the economic and industrial relations research on collective bargaining, competitiveness, and employment, then follow with four case studies that provide insights into the process of collective bargaining and its current status in the evolving U.S. labor-management system.


The Role Of Temporary Agency Employment In Tight Labor Markets, Susan N. Houseman, Arne L. Kalleberg, George A. Erickcek Jan 2003

The Role Of Temporary Agency Employment In Tight Labor Markets, Susan N. Houseman, Arne L. Kalleberg, George A. Erickcek

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper examines the reasons why employers used and even increased their use of temporary help agencies during the tight labor markets of the 1990s. Based on case study evidence from the hospital and auto supply industries, we evaluate various hypotheses for this phenomenon. In high-skilled occupations, our results are consistent with the view that employers paid substantially more to agency help to avoid raising wages for their regular workers and to fill vacancies while they recruited workers for permanent positions. In low-skilled occupations, our evidence suggests that temporary help agencies facilitated the use of more "risky" workers by lowering …


Do Temporary Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes? A Pilot Analysis With Welfare Clients, David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman Dec 2002

Do Temporary Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes? A Pilot Analysis With Welfare Clients, David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman

Reports

We draw upon administrative data from an unusual policy experiment in the state of Michigan to study the effects of temporary agency employment among welfare-to-work clients on job retention, program recidivism, and earnings. To identify these effects, we exploit the fact that welfare-to-work clients in one Michigan county were randomly assigned to service providers who had substantially different placement rates in temporary agencies but otherwise similar policies. Our findings indicate that moving welfare clients who otherwise would have been unemployed into temporary agency jobs provides some benefits to these workers, primarily by increasing their short-term earnings. Temporary agency jobs also …


Temporary Services And Contracting Out: Effects On Low-Skilled Workers, Susan N. Houseman, George A. Erickcek Jul 2002

Temporary Services And Contracting Out: Effects On Low-Skilled Workers, Susan N. Houseman, George A. Erickcek

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.


The Effects Of Temporary Services And Contracting Out On Low-Skilled Workers: Evidence From Auto Suppliers, Hospitals, And Public Schools, George A. Erickcek, Susan N. Houseman, Arne L. Kalleberg Jul 2002

The Effects Of Temporary Services And Contracting Out On Low-Skilled Workers: Evidence From Auto Suppliers, Hospitals, And Public Schools, George A. Erickcek, Susan N. Houseman, Arne L. Kalleberg

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

We examine why employers use temporary agency and contract company workers and the implications of these practices for the wages, benefits, and working conditions of workers in low-skilled labor markets. Through intensive case studies in manufacturing (automotive supply), services (hospitals), and public sector (primary and secondary schools) industries, we define the circumstances under which these workers are likely to be adversely affected, minimally affected, or even benefited by such outsourcing. Adverse effects on compensation are clearest when companies substitute agency temporaries or contract company workers for regular employees on a long-term basis because low-skilled workers within the organization receive relatively …


Can Temporary Employment Scar Your Future Earnings? Wage Mobility By Type Of Work Contract In Spain, Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes, Ricardo Serrano-Padial Apr 2002

Can Temporary Employment Scar Your Future Earnings? Wage Mobility By Type Of Work Contract In Spain, Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes, Ricardo Serrano-Padial

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.


How Late To Pay? Understanding Wage Arrears In Russia, John S. Earle, Klara Sabirianova Peter Mar 2002

How Late To Pay? Understanding Wage Arrears In Russia, John S. Earle, Klara Sabirianova Peter

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

We organize an empirical analysis of Russian wage arrears around hypotheses concerning factors that create incentives for firms to pay late and for workers to tolerate late payment, both reinforced by a prevalent environment of overdue wages. Our analysis draws upon nationally representative household panel data matched with employer data to show substantial interfirm variation with the probability of arrears positively related to firm age, size, state ownership, and declining performance. Estimation of a constrained multinomial logit model also reveals intrafirm, variation related to job tenure and small shareholdings in the firm. Workers tend to have higher arrears in rural …


Temporary Employment In Auto Supply, George A. Erickcek, Susan N. Houseman, Arne L. Kalleberg Jan 2002

Temporary Employment In Auto Supply, George A. Erickcek, Susan N. Houseman, Arne L. Kalleberg

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.


Imports, Exports, And Jobs: What Does Trade Mean For Employment And Job Loss?, Lori G. Kletzer Jan 2002

Imports, Exports, And Jobs: What Does Trade Mean For Employment And Job Loss?, Lori G. Kletzer

Upjohn Press

Kletzer adds to our understanding of the magnitude of the costs and benefits of free trade. She presents a focused examination of the relationship between changes in international trade, employment, and job displacement for a sample of U.S. manufacturing industries. The link between international trade and domestic jobs is also explored through studies of both net and gross employment job change.


The Economics Of Work And Family, Jean Kimmel Editor, Emily P. Hoffman Editor Jan 2002

The Economics Of Work And Family, Jean Kimmel Editor, Emily P. Hoffman Editor

Upjohn Press

Using an economic perspective, the contributors confront work/family issues including child care (potentially the biggest obstacle to parents successfully integrating work and family priorities), how parents balance time between work and family obligations, links between women's childbearing and their economic outcomes, the success of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the relationship between family structure and labor market outcomes. They also argue for specific policies designed to alleviate the stresses related to these issues.


Losing Work, Moving On: International Perspectives On Worker Displacement, Peter Joseph Kuhn Editor Jan 2002

Losing Work, Moving On: International Perspectives On Worker Displacement, Peter Joseph Kuhn Editor

Upjohn Press

This volume presents a collaborative effort by 22 labor economists who examine worker displacement and the attempts to address it in 10 industrialized countries. Using large nationally-representative data sets and detailed policy analysis, the authors focus on two key questions related to worker displacement: 1) whether the experiences of displaced workers in the United States, and the patterns of experiences across workers, echo patterns seen in other developed countries, and 2) what can be learned, both from the similarities and from the differences across countries?


How New Is The "New Employment Contract"?: Evidence From North American Pay Practices, David I. Levine, Dale Belman, Gary Charness, Erica L. Groshen, K. C. O'Shaughnessy Jan 2002

How New Is The "New Employment Contract"?: Evidence From North American Pay Practices, David I. Levine, Dale Belman, Gary Charness, Erica L. Groshen, K. C. O'Shaughnessy

Upjohn Press

This book explores this apparent change in the employment contract. Whereas earlier studies in this area focused on the rigidities in the quantity side of the employment relationship, e.g., changes in job tenure and rates of displacement, the authors focus on the price side of the contract - whether wage structures have become more flexible.


Nonstandard Work And Child Care Choices Of Married Mothers, Jean Kimmel, Lisa M. Powell Dec 2001

Nonstandard Work And Child Care Choices Of Married Mothers, Jean Kimmel, Lisa M. Powell

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The focus of this paper is to examine the interplay between nonstandard employment and child care choice decisions of married mothers with young children. We draw on the 1992/93 Survey of Income and Program Participation to estimate two related econometric models of child care choice that include the choice among center, sitter, relative and parental care. First, controlling for the potential endogeneity of the nonstandard work decision, we find that being a nonstandard worker significantly reduces the likelihood of using formal modes of child care such as center and sitter care. In our second model, where we jointly estimate the …