Labor Economics Commons^™

Fixed Costs And The Division Of Labor, Haiwen Zhou

Economics Faculty Publications

How market size and the level of coordination costs determine the degree of specialization is studied in an infinite horizon model with the amount of capital determined endogenously. Firms producing the same intermediate good engage in oligopolistic competition and choose the degree of specialization of their technologies to maximize profits. A more specialized technology is a technology with a lower marginal cost, but a higher fixed cost. Interestingly, the relationship between the level of coordination costs and a firm’s degree of specialization is ambiguous. A firm in a country with a larger market size, more patient citizens, or a higher …

The Digital Revolution Revisited: Artificial Intelligence & Employment, Nicholas Lavy

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a quickly advancing technology that has the potential to displace a great deal of workers. Unlike past automation-based technologies, I find that high skilled labor is more impacted by AI than lower skilled labor. In order to analyze the impact that AI will have on the labor market, I utilize a fixed effects model for a historical case of automation’s impact on employment and a fitted parameter methodology to analyze the careers most and least exposed to artificial intelligence. My results suggest that an increase in exposure to automation technologies by one percentile leads to a …

Employer Strategies For Military Spouse Retention, Shanna Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover is extremely costly to organizations, which concerns business leaders in the United States because organizations invest time and money in resources such as recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training. Grounded in systems theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies employers use to retain military spouse talent. The sample consisted of nine business leaders from large companies in San Antonio, Texas, known for successful talent retention initiatives for military spouses. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with business leaders and publicly available organizational documents. Data analysis was guided by thematic analysis, member checking, and methodological …

The Effect Of Low Skill Job Opportunities On Postsecondary Enrollment, Mallory Radesic

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research examines the effect that low skill job opportunities have on the probability of enrollment in postsecondary institutions between men and women, namely the construction and manufacturing industries. The research is based on the human capital investment theory, which states that individuals will enroll in postsecondary institutions when the perceived benefits outweigh the costs. More job opportunity heightens the opportunity cost of enrollment, hence lowering the probability of enrollment. After running a probit model, there is evidence that enrollment is countercyclical and that enrollment decisions do not vary significantly between men and women. I find that a 1 percent …

Impact Of Unemployment Insurance Benefit Generosity On Re-Employment Wages During The Great Recession, Hayden Cobb

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper examines the impact of the replacement ratio on re-employment wages during the great recession. This is done using a data set from IPUMS CPS displaced workers supplement between 2005 and 2012. Using OLS analysis, I estimated the impacts of the replacement ratio on the ratio of re-employment wages to pre-unemployment wages. I found that a replacement ratio of one would lead to a 77.6% increase in the ratio of re-employment wages to pre-unemployment wages, without the consideration of any other variables. The findings of the replacement ratio support economic theory and contradict the findings of some major papers …

Penyerapan Tenaga Kerja Dan Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Menuju Era Bonus Demografi Di Sumatra Barat, Sri Maryati, Hefrizal Handra, Irwan Muslim

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

Indonesia’s provincial population projection in 2010–2035 shows West Sumatra is one of the provinces that may not experience a demographic bonus or it could be delayed to the next period. This study aims to analyze the determinants of sectoral employment absorption and its effect on economic growth with a demometric approach. The result shows that the absorption of labor in West Sumatra is influenced by economic variables (Gross Regional Domestic Product) and demographic variables (Human Development Index). As a consequence, the productivity and the quality of human resources become important factors to achieve demographic bonus in West Sumatra.

The Motherhood Wage Penalty: New Evidence On Long-Run Effects And Group Heterogeneity, Vera Kratz

CMC Senior Theses

This paper seeks to establish the magnitude of the long-run motherhood wage penalty. Using data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, I examine the difference between the real hourly wages of mothers and non-mothers in the long run. By comparing mothers to not-yet-mothers as well as never-mothers, I am able to better isolate the true wage penalty mothers face. My findings indicate that 21 to 25 years after the birth of their first child, mothers face a 31.75 percentage point wage penalty compared to non-mothers. In addition, I examine differences in the wage penalties of mothers by marital …

Pengaruh Jam Kerja Orang Tua Terhadap Kognitif Anak Di Indonesia, Pradini Ajeng Gemellia, Turro S. Wongkaren

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

The current phenomenon shows an increasing work activities by both fathers and mothers to fulfil household needs. This social change is feared to give children imbalance time, causing children’s development to be not optimal. This study aims to see the influence of parental working hour on children’s cognitive scores in Indonesia. This study used data from IFLS Survey in 2007 and 2014 with a unit of analysis of children aged 7 to 14 used an OLS estimation method. The results of this study indicate that parental working hours had negative influence on children’s cognitive scores.

"The Refugees Are Better Off Than We Are": Evaluating The Impact Of Syrian Refugees On Jordanian Labor Markets, Maggie Dougherty

Senior Independent Study Theses

This thesis analyses the labor market impacts associated with hosting Syrian refugees in Jordan through the Syrian conflict. We provide a critical analysis of the sentiment that ‘the refugees are better off than we are.’ This sentiment derives from the perception that the poor economic conditions are the fault of refugees, because they take jobs from native citizens, or because of the international humanitarian aid that refugees receive. We suggest that this perception is a ‘false narrative’ which does not accurately describe the many causes of economic hardships in Jordan, thereby misplacing blame on refugees. The article analyzes the structural …

The Effects Of Racial Capitalism On Poor White Laborers, Amy Whittaker

Liberal Studies (MA) Final Essays

While always remembering that racial capitalism’s very nature ensures that non-white Americans suffer incomparable racial oppression, this paper will endeavor to expose the devastation caused to American society as a whole by explaining the ways in which racial capitalism destroyed poor white labors ability to participate fully in the economic system and strangled its chances of living the American dream. It is my hope that by discussing the missing piece of the poor white laborers’ experience under racial capitalism will unite poor white laborers and poor black laborers to work together to end racial capitalism, policing, and the carceral system. …

O Espaço E O Tempo Do Valor, David Harvey, Artur Renzo

Publications and Research

O artigo discute a lei do valor em Karl Marx como valor em movimento, que se faz valer no espaço e no tempo. Entende-se que o movimento não pode ocorrer no vácuo, sendo necessário abandonar a visão do valor que se move sem estar ancorado em nenhum lugar e passar a enxergá-lo criando geografias de cidades e redes de transportes; formando paisagens agrícolas para a produção de alimentos e matérias-primas; englobando fluxos de pessoas, bens e informações; determinando configurações territoriais de valores fundiários e habilidades de trabalho; organizando espaços de trabalho, estruturas de governo e administração. Conclui-se que há três …

A Practical Proactive Proposal For Dealing With Attrition: Alternative Approaches And An Empirical Example, John Dinardo, Jordan Matsudaira, Justin Mccrary, Lisa Sanbonmatsu

Faculty Scholarship

Survey nonresponse and attrition undermine the validity of many and possibly most econometric estimates. We propose that survey administrators and evaluators proactively create an instrument for observation, for example, by ex ante randomizing participants to differing intensity of follow-up. We illustrate how to apply our proposed methodology using a carefully conducted randomized controlled trial, the Moving to Opportunity demonstration project, which de facto randomly assigned a subset of subjects to more intensive follow-up. The approach yields treatment effect estimates similar to the unbiased estimator based on complete administrative data and has narrower confidence intervals than alternative bounding approaches.

Firms, Jobs, And Gender Disparities In Top Incomes: Evidence From Brazil, Felipe Benguria

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper studies the gender disparities among top incomes in Brazil during the period 1994-2013 using administrative data on the universe of formal-sector job spells and detailed information on educational attainment, employers, and occupations performed. Over these two decades, differences in pay and participation between genders have narrowed, yet the process has been slow and women are still severely underrepresented, especially within the very top percentiles of the earnings distribution. The following findings highlight the role of firms and occupations in explaining these patterns. At the start of the period, women in the top percentile of the distribution owe a …

Federation Divided, Max M. Balton

Capstones

At the start of the 2020 school year, a lack of covid safety plans led teachers like Rosy Clark to protest, urging her union the United Federation of Teachers to act. She and other progressives in the dissident caucus, Movement of Rank and File Educators, were willing to strike to ensure their safety. Union leadership hesitated largely because public union strikes are illegal under the state’s Taylor Law.

This four-part audio documentary looks at the history of the UFT and this contentious state law. The union began striking under more onerous strike prohibition legislation. Its roots are steeped in radical …

Professor Seeborg Says Covid Drives Retirements, But It's Not Best Time For Everyone, Dana Vollmer

Interviews for WGLT

On average, about 2 million people retire annually, but the Pew Research Center reports for 2020 that figure is already more than 3.2 million. Emeritus Professor of Ecconomics Mike Seeborg said that's a major reversal in the prior trend of delaying retirement, and talks about what's driving this change with WGLT's Dana Vollmer.

Income In The Off-Season: Household Adaptation To Yearly Work Interruptions, John Coglianese, Brendan M. Price

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Income In The Off-Season: Household Adaptation To Yearly Work Interruptions, John Coglianese, Brendan M. Price

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Joblessness is highly seasonal. To analyze how households adapt to seasonal joblessness, we introduce a measure of seasonal work interruptions premised on the idea that a seasonal worker will tend to exit employment around the same time each year. We show that an excess share of prime-age U.S. workers experience recurrent separations spaced exactly 12 months apart. These separations coincide with aggregate seasonal downturns and are concentrated in seasonally volatile industries. Examining workers most prone to seasonal work interruptions, we find that these workers incur large earnings losses during the off-season. Lost earnings are 1) driven mainly by repeated separations …

The Relationship Between The Earning Of Career And Technical Industry Credentials And The Virginia Economy, Anjanette Mcfadden Hendricks

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Nationally, the labor market is calling out for workers to fill the increasing number of job vacancies, but those qualified, skilled, and able to fill them are limited in supply or retiring in large numbers. As America’s key industries offer high salaries in return for candidates with the necessary skills and credentials to fill their vacancies, the skills learned and third-party industry credentials earned in secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs seem to make a perfect fit for the student, employer, and the economy. However, unlike the favored US educational model of the four-year degree, the continued outdated perception …

Does Attending A More Elite School Lead To Better Labor Market Outcomes?: Evidence From The College Football Labor Market Using Screening Information, Kyle Brookman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

College football prospects in the market for an athletic scholarship face similar career-altering choices as traditional academic students when selecting a college, however, the market they operate in is very different. They are actively recruited by university coaches and closely observed by a college sports scouting industry. Their choice of school is highly anticipated and publicized within college sport culture. College football is no doubt a lucrative industry, particularly for the elite university football programs, but one may want to know if the athletic scholars themselves gain in any career measurable way by attending a more elite university football program. …

5 Big Ideas In Inequality: Good Jobs - V, Timothy J. Bartik

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Broadening Place-Based Jobs Policies: How To Both Target Job Creation And Broaden Its Reach, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

Many places in the United States are distressed in that they have low “employment rates” (employment to population ratios). In my recent report for the Brookings Metro Policy program (Bartik 2020b), I proposed helping the most distressed local labor markets, comprising 15 percent of the U.S. population, by a federal block grant of $11 billion annually to provide public services to create local jobs. The present policy paper outlines how this block grant can be broadened, while remaining targeted. The block grant is broadened by adding $3 billion for more moderately distressed local labor markets, comprising an additional 15 percent …

Writing Tips For Economics Research Papers, Plamen Nikolov

Economics Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic And The Cares Act On Earnings And Inequality, Guido Matias Cortes, Eliza C. Forsythe

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic And The Cares Act On Earnings And Inequality, Guido Matias Cortes, Eliza C. Forsythe

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Nudges To Increase Completion Of Welfare Applications, Christopher J. O'Leary, Dallas Oberlee, Gabrielle Pepin

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Establishing Factors Affecting Tax Morale Of The Millennials In The Gig Economy, Farah Nabila Md Fadzil

Student Works (2020-2029)

The lack of clear conceptual framework and understanding of the tax morale in the gig economy is due to the contemporary literature being sparse. Considering the development of the gig economy, the purpose of this study is to provide insights on the factors affecting tax morale of those working in the gig economy. Data was then collected from millennials working in the gig economy through a questionnaire survey and analysed using second generation multivariate analysis, known as PLS-SEM. Taking into account self-efficacy and social cognitive theory as theoretical foundation, the findings reveal that while the extent of the dependency on …

Nudges To Increase Completion Of Welfare Applications: Experimental Evidence From Michigan, Christopher J. O'Leary, Dallas Oberlee, Gabrielle Pepin

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides cash assistance to very-low-income families with children. Application procedures to receive TANF benefits, however, often involve substantial transaction costs likely to reduce take-up. We estimate, through a randomized controlled trial design, the effects of a detailed telephone-call reminder to increase TANF application completion in southwest Michigan, where applicants must visit a regional public employment office at least four times to be eligible for benefits. We do not find that personalizing reminder calls increased participation in the initial appointment at the public employment office. However, conditional on attending the initial session, applicants …

Tax Credits For Child Care Increase Take-Up And May Help More Mothers Work, Gabrielle Pepin

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Scholarly Pursuits: Nationally Recognized Health Expert Tony Losasso Returns To Depaul

Business Exchange

DePaul business school alumnus Tony LoSasso returned to his alma mater to launch a DePaul MBA concentration in health care markets and analytics. He is nationally recognized expert in health economics, LoSasso teaches graduate and undergraduate health economics courses. His award-winning research spans several dimensions of health and labor economics, health policy and health services.

America At A Glance: Unemployment Among People With Disabilities During The Covid-19 Recession, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

People with disabilities are often the first to experience economic disruptions, and among the last to recover. Unemployment among people with disabilities spiked to 18.9% in April 2020 and declined to 12.5% in September. Both the initial increase and recent decrease in unemployment was primarily driven by changes in temporary unemployment (unemployed workers who expect to go back to their same job within six months). While temporary unemployment has gone down, permanent unemployment has risen since the recession began, and may indicate that for some, temporary unemployment is becoming permanent. As the recession wears on and unemployment benefits begin to …