Labor Economics Commons^™

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

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

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.

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.

Contracting With Limited Commitment: Evidence From Employment-Based Health Insurance Contracts, Keith J. Crocker, John R. Moran

Center for Policy Research

When an individual's health status is observable, but evolving over time, the key to maintaining a successful health insurance arrangement is to have the healthier members of the group cross-subsidize those who experience adverse health outcomes. We argue that impediments to worker mobility may serve to mitigate the attrition of healthy individuals from employer-sponsored insurance pools, thereby creating a de facto commitment mechanism that allows for more complete insurance of health risks than would be possible in the absence of such frictions. Using data on health insurance contracts obtained from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey, we find that the …

Role And Status Of Elderly In The Family : A Case Study In Kampung Sg. Kayu Ara, Yeong An Gan

Student Works (2000-2009)

The purpose of this study is to understand the role and status of the respondents in the family as well as in the society and community. The study looks at among others, their health status; economic participation and contribution; and participation in social and other community activities. The result of this study shows that many older persons remain able and capable. Due to lack of activities at the local level, many older persons are compelled to retire to their own home. They are also ignorance about their own sickness especially when they have limited financial resources. Simple health checks and …

The Impact Of The 1997 Economic Crisis On The Labour Market In Malaysia, Janitha Nadarajah

Student Works (2000-2009)

Malaysia's rapid economic growth since 1988 was sustained through 1995, between the year's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth was generally above 8% per annum. Malaysia's impressive decade - long growth came to an abrupt halt during the Asian economic crisis, which occurred in July 1997. The crisis had caused massive capital movements and all of Southeast Asia countries had been severely affected. This research paper analyzes the impact of the economic crisis on the labour market in Malaysia. The analysis focuses on employment growth, retrenchment and job opportunities. The full impact of the crisis was clear in 1998 when …

Employee Perception On The Implementation Of The Performance Appraisal System At The University Of Malaya, Sazali Kamaruddin

Student Works (2000-2009)

The purpose of this study is to investigate and identify issues pertaining to the implementation of the current performance appraisal system, the New Remuneration System (NRS) with specific reference to the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This research also tries to examine the effectiveness of the NRS as one of the management tools for the determination of salary increment, promotion, bonuses and other employee benefits. Specifically the study aims to identify employee perception of the current performance appraisal system; whether it is a just and accurate system for the employees of the University of Malaya or otherwise. The result …

The Sorting Function: Evidence From Law School, Richard A. Ippolito

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Employee Ownership After Privatization: Governance Institutions And Firm Performance In Romania, John S. Earle, ÁLmos Telegdy

Reports

This paper studies the governance institutions and performance consequences of privatization through management-employee buyout (MEBO) in Romania. Detailed firm-level survey data are used to analyze ownership rights practices concerning voting, dividend payment, and sales of shares, and to study the continued role of the state through restructuring restrictions in the privatization contracts, difficulties in installment payment, and possible renationalization of shares. Comprehensive privatization and registry data are used to estimate the productivity performance of industrial MEBOs, compared with mass transfers to dispersed individuals, sales to domestic and foreign blockholders, and continued ownership by the state. We find that the ownership …

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 …

Rural Community Economic Leadership By People With Disabilities, Tom Seekins Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

The lack of employment opportunities for people with disabilities is a major problem according to vocational rehabilitation (VR) service providers, American Indian Section 121 employment programs, and people with disabilities (Arnold, Seekins, & Nelson, 1997). This is particularly true in rural areas where local businesses struggle to create enough quality jobs for community members, including people with disabilities. In the face of this challenge, rural residents with and without disabilities frequently opt to pursue self-employment. Yet, VR and Section 121 programs are often confused about existing business opportunities and their potential for success. There are established procedures to analyze markets …

Targeting Welfare-To-Work Services Using Statistical Tools, Randall W. Eberts

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Risk Sharing Through Social Security Retirement Income Systems: A Comparison Of Canada And The United States, John A. Turner

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

St. Joseph County Benchmarking Study, George A. Erickcek, Brad R. Watts

Reports

No abstract provided.

Financing And Promoting Small-Scale Industries. Concept, Issues And Prospects., C. M. Anyanwu

Bullion

The importance of small-scale industries in promoting industrialization and economic growth has been recognized globally. This paper discusses the concepts and issues that are associated with the financing and promoting of small scale industries. Nigeria is blessed with vast natural resources, including oil, gas and solid minerals, already confirmed to exist in commercial quantities. Small-scale industries development can be used for achieving the objectives of the poverty alleviation programme of the Government, given that they are highly labour intensive. Nigeria is blessed with vast natural resources, including oil, gas and solid minerals, already confirmed to exist in commercial quantities. She …

Evaluating Active Labor Market Programs In Transition Economies, Christopher J. O'Leary

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

The Returns To Education And Basic Skills Training For Individuals With Poor Health Or Disability, Kevin Hollenbeck, Jean Kimmel

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper examines linkages between disability and health status and the returns to education and basic skills training. It bases analyses on two separate data sources: wave 3 from the 1993 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). The data sets have been used to estimate standard wage equations with education and basic skills training among the independent variables. The NALS data set allows us to control for prose, quantitative, and document literacy. The wage equations rely on Heckit corrections for labor force participation, and we stratify by sex. …

Assessment Of Kalamazoo County's Education For Employment (Efe) Programs Using 2001 Survey Data, Kevin Hollenbeck, Noyna Debburman

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Benefits Implications Of Recent Trends In Flexible Staff Arrangements, Susan N. Houseman

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Workers in flexible staffing arrangements - including temporary agency, direct-hire temporary, on-call, and contract workers - are much less likely than regular, direct-hire employees to be covered by laws mandating or regulating workplace benefits. Workers in such arrangements, in turn, are much less likely to receive pension, health insurance, and other benefits on the job. This paper documents these differences in coverage by benefits regulations and differences in benefits receipt. The paper also reviews evidence on the incentives employers have to use workers in these various flexible staffing arrangements. Although reducing benefits costs is not the only reason employers use …

Fighting Poverty With Labor Demand Policies, Timothy J. Bartik

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Unemployment Compensation And Older Workers, Christopher J. O'Leary, Stephen A. Wandner

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

The Incidence And Cost Of Wrongfully Denied Unemployment Benefits, Stephen A. Woodbury, Wayne Vroman

Reports

Since 1987, the U.S. Department of Labor has performed random audits of Unemployment Insurance (UI) payments in order to estimate the extent of benefit payment errors—particularly overpayments. However, the accuracy of the process that determines benefit eligibility is not currently assessed. In particular, the extent to which eligible claimants for UI are wrongfully denied benefits is not known. This paper reports the results of the Denied Claims Accuracy (DCA) Pilot Project, a five-state pilot conducted by the Department of Labor during 1997–98, in which random samples of monetary, separation, and nonseparation denials were subjected to intensive field investigation in order …

From Plant Closure To Reemployment In The New Economy: Risks To Workers Dislocated From The Declining Garment Manufacturing Industry, Cynthia Rocha

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current study investigates financial and emotional consequences to workers as the U.S. economy continues to shift from a manufacturing to a service economy. One hundred eighty-eight garment workers were surveyed before their plant closed in 1998 and six months later to assess reemployment opportunities, financial difficulty and emotional well-being. All workers experienced some financial difficulty after the plant closed, with single parents reporting the greatest financial difficulty. Workers who became immediately reemployed lost an average of $2.41 in wages per hour. Sixteen percent of the sample lost their health insurance. Overall depression and anxiety scores declined over six months, …

Rural Economic Development: Worker Cooperatives And Employment Of People With Disabilities Part Three, Charles Sperry, Joyce Brusin, Tom Seekins Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

The opportunities for self-empowerment and economic justice found in the worker cooperative structure may be especially relevant for people with disabilities, who as a population tend to experience extraordinarily high rates of unemployment. People with disabilities already successfully engage in a wide range of employment and self-employment situations (Seekins & Arnold, 1996; Shelley, 1999). Employment within a worker cooperative structure carries many benefits for people with disabilities and requires only a few carefully structured adaptations. Benefits include fair wages and an equitable share of profits; authority to manage the business in the best interest of the worker-members; a community-friendly business …

Rural Economic Development: A Stewardship Model For Organizing Worker Cooperatives Part Two, Charles Sperry, Joyce Brusin, Tom Seekins Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

Worker cooperative corporations are a particular way of organizing business and employment opportunities. They usually involve a for-profit business that is owned by the worker-members who are employed there. A worker cooperative must perform the same major functions as any other organized business. It must obtain sufficient financing, manage its personnel, and produce and market its product or service. Its staff engage in the same management activities as any other business: planning, staffing, controlling, organizing, and leading.

Rural Economic Development: Worker Cooperatives And Employment Of People With Disabilities Part One, Charles Sperry, Joyce Brusin, Tom Seekins Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

Across America, rural communities are looking for vibrant and stable local economies that will allow them to preserve the best qualities of their rural life in the face of rapid and relentless global economic change. The impacts of economic decline in rural America over the last two decades have been worsened by multiplier effects. Lost income has led to lost purchasing power, which has led to business closures; population loss has followed, resulting in downsizing of schools and hospitals and ultimately, in disintegration of communities themselves (Magdoff 1993; The Futurist, 1989).

Intergenerational Labor Market And Welfare Consequences Of Poor Health, Thomas J. Kniesner, Anthony T. Losasso

Center for Policy Research

Our research provides new econometric evidence concerning partial economic risk sharing between a frail elderly parent and an adult child. We estimate a jointly determined limited dependent variables system explaining the parent’s entry into a nursing home, the adult child’s visits to the parent, and the adult child’s labor supplied. The time allocation of adult sons is unaffected by a parent’s frail health. Adult daughters who visit a frail elderly parent daily decrease their annual labor supplied by about 1,000 hours annually, largely through labor force non-participation. The implied welfare loss to the daughter from a frail elderly parent in …

Unfinished Business: Inadequate Health Coverage For Privately Insured, Seriously Ill Children, Nancy Swigonski, Eleanor D. Kinney, Deborah A. Freund, Thomas J. Kniesner

Center for Policy Research

During the 1980s and 1990s there were great increases of health insurance coverage for poor children through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and extended Medicaid eligibility. Problems remain for the small number of children with serious medical conditions whose care is a high proportion of total health care expenditures on children. We report on the adequacy of health insurance coverage for a sample of children with serious and rare illnesses treated at the single tertiary care pediatric hospital in Indiana. One-third of privately insured children in our data had inadequate insurance. Compared to families with inadequate health insurance families …

Determinants Of Medical Costs Following A Diagnosis Of Depression, Regina H. Powers, Thomas J. Kniesner, Thomas W. Croghan

Center for Policy Research

Objective: Assess the determinants of medical costs for depressed individuals.

Method: Using medical insurance claims for a population of depressed individuals with employer provided insurance, we estimated multivariate models of the costs for general medical care, exclusive of costs for mental health services, following diagnosis. Explanatory variables included provider choice (psychiatrist or non-physician mental health specialist), treatment choice (medication, psychotherapy, or combination treatment); treatment adequacy as defined by APA guidelines; characteristics of depression symptoms and severity; and other demographic characteristics.

Results: On average, there were increases in the costs for general medical services in the year following diagnosis of a …