Income Volatility and Food Assistance
in the United States

  (Read the first chapter of this book.)

This new book provides a much-needed look at recent trends in income volatility and its effects on the design of and participation in the nation's food assistance programs.

Older and Out of Work

Jobs and Social Insurance for a Changing Economy

  (Read the first chapter of this book.)

The chapters in this volume, originally presented at a conference organized by the National Academy of Social Insurance, come from a group of policy experts who advance our understanding of the labor market experiences of older workers while pointing out that current workforce programs often leave this growing population underserved.

Who Really Made Your Car?

Restructuring and Geographic Change in the Auto Industry

(Read the first chapter of this book.)

"A magisterial, encyclopedic review of who really makes the 15,000 parts and components in your motor vehicle. More importantly, the authors examine the trends in technology, markets, and companies that determine where future auto parts will be made and who will get the jobs in America's largest manufacturing industry: auto parts manufacturing. No one has ever done this better in terms of information, insight, and clear entertaining prose.

-Sean P. McAlinden, Center for Automotive Research

How Do We Spend Our Time?

Evidence from the American Time Use Survey

  (Read the first chapter of this book.)

The contributors to this book rely on a newly-available survey that allows them to study how people decide to spend their time.

A Future of Good Jobs?

America's Challenge in the Global Economy

(Read the first chapter of this book.)

“A Future of Good Jobs? could hardly be better timed with respect to current trends in the American economy. While most of these trends—widening wage inequality, underemployment of the less educated, increased global competition, and cutbacks in health insurance and retirement coverage—are far from new, it is only recently that policymakers and mainstream economists have come to acknowledge that they are not necessarily self-correcting. The practical, concrete remedies offered in this book are especially welcome in that they are sensitive both to the realities of the U.S. labor force and to the needs and resources of U.S. employers.”

-Jodie Allen, Senior Editor, Pew Research Center

Do Community Colleges Respond to Local Needs?

Evidence from California

(Read the first chapter of this book.)

The role of community colleges has changed in recent years. No longer is their role solely to prepare students to transfer to four-year institutions and to provide occupational training. Now, they must also provide basic adult education and serve an economic development role by implementing training programs that assist in retaining existing employers and attracting new ones. The authors use data from California’s community college system to address whether these efforts are meeting the needs that exist in their communities.

Immigrants and Their International Money Flows

  (Read the first chapter of this book.)

This book consists of a series of studies on the topic of international migration with an emphasis on workers' remittances. Chapters cover the impact of remittances on economic development and the interplay of immigration policies with human capital acquisition and labor markets in out-migration areas.

Reining in the Competition for Capital

  (Read the first chapter of this book.)

“Ann Markusen has done it again. [This book] is a provocative, comprehensive collection from an impressive range of experts only Markusen could have assembled. It is ideal for a course in economic development policy and well worth reading for practitioners and political leaders. I know of no other source that provides so much information and perspective on this contentious policy issue.”

Andrew M. Isserman, University of Illinois