W.E. Upjohn Institute Feeds http://www.upjohn.org RSS Feeds from the Upjohn Institute en-us New report released http://www.upjohn.org George Erickcek and Kevin Hollenbeck document Macomb Community College's economic contributions to Macomb County, and present an economic impact estimate of the college’s planned $56 million renovation construction. The report is available here. Work by Susan Houseman cited in "On the Economy" blog http://www.upjohn.org On a May 13 posting to the blog "On the Economy," Jared Bernstein cites work by Institute senior economist Susan Houseman on how productivity growth in the United States is overstated. Read the blog entry titled "Full Employment Series #2: Pushback re Technological Unemployment". Timothy Bartik's TEDx Talk garners over 133,000 views in first week of posting http://www.upjohn.org Posted on May 6 on the TEDx home page, Institute senior economist Timothy Bartik's TEDx talk on the importance of preschool education has over 133,000 views. See it here. Bartik says that investing in early childhood education is not just good for the children involved, but for communities as a whole. In his talk, he offers a detailed look at how preschool education boosts local economies in a number of significant ways. Bartik is also the author of Investing in Kids: Early Childhood Programs and Local Economic Development, and he blogs at http://investinginkids.net/. New Working Paper - Discrimination and the Effects of Drug Testing on Black Employment, by Abigai Wozniak, University of Notre Dame http://www.upjohn.org Nearly half of U.S. employers test job applicants and workers for drugs. I use variation in the timing and nature of drug testing regulation to study discrimination against blacks related to perceived drug use. Black employment in the testing sector is suppressed in the absence of testing, consistent with ex ante discrimination on the basis of drug use perceptions. Adoption of pro-testing legislation increases black employment in the testing sector by 7–30 percent and relative wages by 1.4–13.0 percent, with the largest shifts among low skilled black men. Results suggest that employers substitute white women for blacks in the absence of testing. REad the paper here. New Working Paper - Do Minimum Wage Laws Affect People Who Are Not Covered? Evidence from Documented and Undocumented, Hourly and Piece Rate Workers in U.S. Agriculture http://www.upjohn.org While a stated goal of minimum wage increases is to benefit low-income workers, some employers are not obligated to provide at least minimum wages to all employees. U.S. farm employers comprise one of these groups. Employees of large farms and H2-A workers are protected by minimum wage legislation, while other migrant workers (especially those who are paid piece rate) are exempt. Furthermore, U.S. agriculture is characterized by a large percentage of illegal migrants, and workers who are illegal may or may not receive wages above minimum levels. This paper presents a case study, drawing from agriculture, that examines if and how minimum wage laws affect uncovered workers. Analysis examines wages and hours worked as functions of federal and state minimum wages using data from a nationally and regionally representative survey of employed farm workers. Read the paper here. New book - Tackling Unemployment: The Legislative Dynamics of the Employment Act of 1946 by Ruth Ellen Wasem http://www.upjohn.org 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. See here for more info. New technical report: A Study of Occupational Disease Claims Within Washington's Workers' Compensation System. http://www.upjohn.org This report completes a study of occupational disease (OD) claims in Washington conducted by a team of researchers through a contract between the Washington Department of Labor and Industries and the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. The report highlights and summarizes work from three deliverables that have been submitted to the Department of Labor and Industries. The first of these deliverables presents a discussion of the adjudication of OD claims in the state and a chronology of the development of OD statutory language, court interpretations, and claim adjudication practices in Washington. The second deliverable inventories definitions of occupational disease and other elements of OD statutes and regulations from throughout the United States. The third deliverable examines the trends in OD claims across dimensions such as exposure, socio-demographic characteristics, and accepted diagnoses. Access the report here. David Card to present seminar at the Institute http://www.upjohn.org Thursday, April 4 at 10:30 a.m. – David Card, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, will give a presentation on the topic "Workplace Heterogeneity and the Rise of West German Wage Inequality." Social Costs of Jobs Lost Due to Environmental Regulations - A new working paper from Timothy J. Bartik http://www.upjohn.org Bartik estimates the social costs of job loss due to environmental regulation. Access the paper here. Susan Houseman quoted in Washington Post article http://www.upjohn.org In an article titled "Health law could boost use of temp workers," Institute senior economist Susan Houseman discusses with reporter Jay Hancock the incentives the Affordable Care Act provides to employers to increase the number of temp workers they employ. The article appears in the March 25 issue of The Washington Post and is available here. Manufacturing propels job growth in west Michigan http://www.upjohn.org Total employment in the six metropolitan areas of west Michigan increased by 1.4 percent in 2012, a gain of 10,800 jobs. The region’s gains were driven by a robust goods-producing sector that was dominated by its manufacturers, especially its many auto suppliers. Read more here. Sichel Seminar Series Continues http://www.upjohn.org Western Michigan University's 2012–2013 Werner Sichel Lecture Series concludes on Wednesday, April 10, with presentations by Stephen C. Smith titled "Governance Challenges for Local Climate Adaptation and Poverty Alleviation." For more information on the participating scholars and dates and times of their presentations see http://www.wmich.edu/economics/docs/werner-sichel2012-13.pdf. Institute president Randall Eberts participates in OECD LEED meeting http://www.upjohn.org Institute president Randall Eberts is participating at the 9th Annual Meeting of the Forum on Partnerships and Governance which is titled "Implementing Change: A New Local Agenda for Jobs and Growth." Eberts is delivering a response titled "Integrating employment and economic development lessons from the US and Australia." The meeting runs March 26–27 and is being held in Dublin-Kilkenny, Ireland. The conference agenda is available here. New Upjohn Working Paper: "The Impact of Financialization on Management and Employment Outcomes," by Rosemay Batt and Eileen Appelbaum http://www.upjohn.org This paper examines three questions: 1) How and why have financial models of doing business emerged in the last three decades? 2) What new forms of financial capitalism have become important in the current period? 3) How do new financial intermediaries, such as private equity, and the financial strategies of nonfinancial corporations affect the management of companies and employment outcomes? The paper describes how deregulation and institutional change created the conditions for a new, more powerful role for finance capital in the governance of U.S. companies, and it synthesizes the empirical evidence on the process and outcomes of financialization in large publicly traded corporations, as well as those taken over by private equity. Areas for future research are identified to examine how financialization affects management and employment relations in the postcrisis period. The paper is available at http://research.upjohn.org/up_workingpapers/191/. Sichel Lecture Series continues http://www.upjohn.org Western Michigan University's 2012–2013 Werner Sichel Lecture Series continues on Wednesday, March 13, with presentations by Susan Linz titled "Good Governance in Transition Economies: A Comparative Analysis." For more information on the participating scholars and dates and times of their presentations see http://www.wmich.edu/economics/docs/werner-sichel2012-13.pdf. Study shows Kalamazoo Promise impacts college-going patterns http://www.upjohn.org The Kalamazoo Promise has led to a pronounced shift in the college-going patterns of Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) students who attend the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center (KAMSC). Following the introduction of the Kalamazoo Promise in 2005, the percentage of KPS KAMSC students attending public, in-state institutions of higher education has almost doubled—a shift that reflects the program rules of the Promise, which covers tuition and fees only at public postsecondary institutions in Michigan. The percentage of non-KPS KAMSC students attending an in-state, public institution also rose in the post-2006 period but only very slightly, suggesting that the Promise has shifted college choices among the eligible student population. Read the study at http://research.upjohn.org/up_policypapers/14/. For 2013, Institute awards ten Early Career Research Grants http://www.upjohn.org For 2013, the Institute is awarding ten Early Career Research Grants. For the list of grantees and their projects see http://www.upjohn.org/node/847. Conference on "Measuring the Effects of Globalization http://www.upjohn.org New research that addresses both the magnitude and conceptual aspects of measuring the impact of globalization will be presented at a conference in Washington, DC on February 28–March 1, 2013. The conference was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and organized by Susan Houseman of the Upjohn Institute and Michael Mandel of the Progressive Policy Institute. An overview of the conference along with an agenda and links to papers is available at http://www.upjohn.org/MEGconference. Researchers link unemployment to poor psychological well-being http://www.upjohn.org Extensive evidence exists showing a direct link between mental health and involuntary unemployment. However, the question of whether poor mental health leads to unemployment—or vice versa—is unresolved. In the paper titled “The Relationship between Mental Health and Unemployment” by Timothy Diette, Arthur Goldsmith, Darrick Hamilton, and William Darity Jr. (which appears in Reconnecting to Work: Policies to Mitigate Long-Term Unemployment and Its Consequences, Lauren D. Appelbaum, editor), the authors introduce a new approach to using existing data that allows them to estimate the link between emotional health and unemployment that addresses concerns about the direction of causality. Read the chapter. Timothy Bartik discusses Governor Snyder's proposal to invest an additional $130 milliion in early childhood education http://www.upjohn.org In a radio interview broadcast on February 7 on WMUK, Upjohn Institute senior economist Timothy Bartik discusses a funding proposal by Michigan's governor to increase spending on early childhood education. Read more and listen to the interview here. Timothy Bartik on how Michigancan close the academic achievement gap between lower- and upper-income students http://www.upjohn.org On January 31, Institute senior economist Timothy Bartik made a presentation to the Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education on how schools in Michigan could close the academic achievement gap between lower- and upper-income students. A recap of an on-line chat concerning Bartik's recommendations is available here. H. Allan Hunt to moderate NASI roundtable discussion http://www.upjohn.org Institute senior economist H. Allan Hunt will moderate a roundtable discussion titled "Opioid Use, Overuse and Abuse in Workers' Compensation" during the 25th Annual Policy Research Conference of the National Academy of Social Insurance. The conference runs January 31–February 1 and will be held in Washington, DC. Timothy Bartik discusses early childhood education on Michigan Radio http://www.upjohn.org In a State of Opportunity special program, Michigan Radio reporter Dustin Dwyer explores the importance of early childhood education. The program delves into how early childhood experiences, including poverty, can affect brain development. It also looks at the importance of pre-school for all children, and whether or not we expect too much from pre-school programs. Upjohn Institute senior economist Timothy Bartik provides extensive commentary. Read about or listen to the program here. Two seminars on tap for the second half of January http://www.upjohn.org On Friday, January 18, Sarah Burns, University of Kentucky, presents "Was There a 'Race to the Bottom' After Welfare Reform?" On Tuesday, January 22, Miriam Gensowski, University of Chicago, presents "Personality, IQ, and Lifetime Earnings" The seminars begin at 10:30 am. Timothy Bartik pens article on Right to Work http://www.upjohn.org Timothy Bartik's guest column titled "Right to Work is No Guarantee of Economic Success," appears in Bridge on January 8. In it, Bartik says that "Research suggests that the economic development effects of RTW are uncertain, with downside risks." Read the article here. Susan Houseman and Marta Lachowska to present at AEA Meetings in San Diego http://www.upjohn.org Senior economist Susan Houseman will present a paper on temporary help employment during recession and recovery. The paper will be presented as part of a LERA session on non-standard employment at 2:30 pm on January 5, 2013 at the Marriott Marquis & Marina, Leucadia room. Marta Lachowska will present the paper (coauthored with Timothy Bartik) titled "The Short-Term Effects of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship on Student Outcomes" on January 05, 2013 at 2:30 pm in Manchester Grand Hyatt, Ford A. The presentation is part of a session titled " Effects of Education and Access to Education." Institute visiting scholar Zhuan Pei presents seminar http://www.upjohn.org Zhuan Pei, Upjohn Institute visiting scholar, presents a seminar on Tuesday, December 18. The title of Dr. Pei's talk is "Estimation and Inference in a Regression Discontinuity/Kink Design." Timothy Bartik on NPR's 'All Things Considered' http://www.upjohn.org In the wake of Michigan's legislature passing right-to-work (RTW) legislation, Timothy Bartik discussed the effects of RTW laws on states' economies as well as on employment and wages. The segment titled "Do Right-to-Work Laws Help or Hurt The Economy?" aired on December 13 on NPR's 'All Things Considered' and is available here. Blog highlights work by Susan Houseman http://www.upjohn.org In an "Economist's View" blog entry dated December 12, Mark Thoma cites work by Susan Houseman on why the condition of U.S. manufacturing looks more ominous than the standard story would have us believe. The entry is a reprint of a "Conservable Economist" blog entry by Tim Taylor which is also dated December 12. Article by Timothy Bartik appears in Growth & Change http://www.upjohn.org Research will be more relevant to state and local economic development policy if this research focuses on research gaps. One gap is better estimates of how local labor demand policies affect local jobs. A second gap is better understanding of how labor supply policies affect overall local labor market outcomes, adjusting for spillovers and displacement. A third gap is better understanding of how effects of local employment shocks vary with local labor market conditions.

This article is a revised version of the keynote address given by Timothy Bartik at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association. Access it here. Susan Houseman addresses Berkeley conference http://www.upjohn.org Upjohn Institute senior economist Susan Houseman was part of a panel that discussed Manufacturing, Services and Job Creation at the conference titled "What Future for Jobs and Manufacturing?" The conference, held November 16, was organized by the University of California-Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. Click here for a summary of Houseman's talk and for a summary of the conference and its presentations. Staff contribute chapter to new OECD volume http://www.upjohn.org A chapter coauthored by Institute president Randall Eberts and senior regional analyst George Erickcek appears in a new OECD Territorial Reviews Series publication. The chapter, "Matching skills to jobs in the tri-state area" appears in The Chicago Tri-State Metropolitan Area, United States. Access the publication here. Marta Lachowska to present at NBER meeting http://www.upjohn.org Economist Marta Lachowska will present a paper titled "The Short-Term Effects of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship on Student Outcomes" at the NBER Education Program Meeting held in Washington, DC on November 16. The paper is coauthored with Timothy J. Bartik. The paper is available at http://research.upjohn.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1203&context=up_workingpapers. Institute hosts seminar on public infrastructure investment http://www.upjohn.org On Wednesday, November 7 at 10:30 a.m., Daniel Wilson from the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank will give a presentation titled "Roads to Prosperity or Bridges to Nowhere? Theory and Evidence on the Impact of Public Infrastructure Investment." Staff members participating at 2012 APPAM Fall Conference,/title> <link>http://www.upjohn.org</link> <description>The 2012 APPAM Fall Conference will be held on November 8–10 in Baltimore. Several Institute staff members are participating: <ul> <li>Randall Eberts will speak at a roundtable "Melding Hiring Incentives and Work Sharing: Addressing Unemployment by Hiring At Reduced Working Hours," will serve as a discussant on the panel "Tools and Principles for More Effective Workforce Programs," and is the couathor of a paper (being presented by Burt Barnow) titled "The Experience of States with Recovery Act Workforce Funds." <li>Kevin Hollenbeck will present his paper "ROI Estimation for Workforce Development Programs," and will serve as a discussant on the panel "Evaluating What Works for Different Income Groups." <li>Timothy Bartik will present a paper coauthored with Marta Lachowska titled "The Short-Term Effects of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship on Student Outcomes," and will chair the panel "Strengthening Workforce Programs Through Increased Coordination and Integration." <li>Research fellow Michelle Miller-Adams will serve as discussant on the panel "The Effects of Universal Place-Based 'Promise' Scholarships On Academic and Economic Outcomes." <li>Visiting scholar Zhuan Pei will present his paper "Dynamic Opting-In Incentives In Income-Tested Social Programs," and will serve as a discussant on the panel "International Perspectives On the Effects of Workforce Policies." </ul></description> </item> <item> <title>Brad Hershbein on women in the workforce http://www.upjohn.org Institute economist Brad Hershbein contributed commentary to a televised report titled "Women at Work." The two-part special report looks at progress being made by women in the workforce. It appeared on Kalamazoo station WWMT on November 1. Watch Part I at http://www.wwmt.com/shared/newsroom/top-stories/stories/wwmt_women-at-work-part-i-5403.shtml. Watch Part II at http://www.wwmt.com/shared/newsroom/top-stories/stories/wwmt_women-at-work-part-ii-5406.shtml. Institute researchers receive 2012 REMI Award http://www.upjohn.org The 2012 REMI Economic Analysis Award in the category of academic research was awarded to Timothy Bartik and George Erickcek of The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. This award honors their Evaluation of the Fiscal and Economic Impact of Michigan's Michigan Economic Growth Authority Incentive Program. REMI is Regional Economic Models, Inc. REad the working paper at http://research.upjohn.org/up_workingpapers/185/. Timothy Bartik presents TedxTalk http://www.upjohn.org On September 14, Timothy Bartik delivered a TEDxTalk and Miami University. In a presentation titled "Can pre-school save the economy?", Bartik discusses how investments in high quality early childhood education can lead to gains in local and regional economic development. Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQIwTWJ_d2I. Paper by Randall Eberts appears in OECD volume http://www.upjohn.org A paper by Institute president Randall Eberts appears in a new volume published by OECD. "Integrating skills, employment and local development" is in Skills Development Pathways in Asia: Employment and Skills Strategies in Southeast Asia initiative (ESSSA).

According to Dr. Eberts, "[R]ebalancing growth strategies towards a greater reliance on domestic and regional demand rather than on export-oriented growth can help regions and countries mitigate the effects of global economic crises, weather global business cycles, and achieve a more sustained and job-rich recovery and long-term growth path."

the paper is available here. Employment Effects of the Washington High Technology Business and Occupation and Tax Credit http;//www.upjohn.org In a new Upjohn Institute working paper, Timothy J. Bartik and Kevin M. Hollenbeck show that Washington State's High Technology and Occupation Tax Credit, whose legislative intent is to stimulate job growth, has a modest effect on employment (approximately 500 job-years per year), but that the cost per job-year created is relatively high (approximately $45,000). the paper is available here. A paper coauthored by Susan Houseman appears in "ILR Review" http://www.upjohn.org In "Manufacturers’ Outsourcing to Staffing Services," Susan Houseman, along with Matthew Dey and Anne Polivka of BLS, estimate the effects of U.S. manufacturers' use of staffing services on measured employment and labor productivity between 1989 and 2009. The paper appears in ILR Review 65(3) and is available here. A paper by Timothy Bartik appears in "Annual Review of Resource Economics" http://www.upjohn.org The paper, titled "Including Jobs in Benefit-Cost Analysis," offers suggestions on how to better measure employment benefits using estimable parameters. Access the paper at http://research.upjohn.org/jrnlarticles/158/. Institute observes 80th anniversary of W.E. Upjohn Unemployment Trustee Corporation http://www.upjohn.org Dr. W.E. Upjohn, founder of the pharmaceutical company that bore his name, also devoted considerable attention to the problem of unemployment. Shortly before he died, in October 1932, he established the W.E. Upjohn Trustee Corporation as a formal means for understanding and combating that problem, one that affected so many Americans at that time. Eighty years later, the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research carries on the mission mandated in the Corporation’s Declaration of Trust: "For research into the causes and effects of unemployment and to study and investigate the feasibility of methods of insuring against unemployment and devise ways and means of preventing and alleviating the distress and hardship caused by unemployment."Learn more about the Institute here. Institute staff discuss Kalamazoo Promise in radio interviews http://www.upjohn.org On September 19, Tim Bartik and Marta Lachowska were interviewed on WMUK. They discussed findings from a working paper they coauthored on the Promise. The interview is available at http://wmuk.org/news/select/315614/Upjohn_Institute_examines_Promise_s_impact_on_education. On September 21, Michelle Miller-Adams (along with Ted Fishman, author of the recent NY Times Magazine article on the Promise) appeared on Minnesota Public Radio's "The Daily Circuit" program. They discussed whether a Promise-type program can boost a town's economy. The interview is available at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/09/21/daily-circuit-kalamazoo-promise-economy/. 2012-2013 Werner Sichel Lecture Series: The Political Economy of Good Governance - Opening lecture is Wednesday, September 26 http://www.upjohn.org Western Michigan University's 2012–2013 Werner Sichel Lecture Series kicks off on Wednesday, September 26 with presentations by Carolyn J. Heinrich of the University of Texas, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. The title of her lecture is "The Role of Performance Management in Good Governance." A brown bag will be held at noon and her lecture begins at 3:00 pm. For more information see http://www.wmich.edu/economics/docs/werner-sichel2012-13.pdf. In Michigan, growth in manufacturing employment not necessarily tied to total employment http://www.upjohn.org As discussed in the latest Viewpoint article in Business Outlook for West Michigan, in 40 percent of the state’s counties, change in manufacturing employment went in the opposite direction from that of manufacturing employment. Read the article at http://research.upjohn.org/bus_outlook/vol28/iss3/1/. Institute staff cited in NY Times Magazine article on the Kalamazoo Promise http://www.upjohn.org An article appearing in the September 16 issue of the New York Times Magazine focuses on the Kalamazoo Promise and the impacts it's having on students and families in Kalamazoo Public Schools. In "Why These Kids Get a Free Ride to College," author Ted C. Fishman interviews Institute president Randall Eberts, senior economist Timothy Bartik, and visiting scholar Michelle Miller-Adams. Read the article. Michelle Miller-Adams is the author of The Power of a Promise: Education and Economic Renewal in Kalamazoo and blogs at http://thepromiseofkalamazoo.org/. Timothy Bartik is the author of Investing in Kids: Early Childhood Programs and Local Economic Development and blogs at http://investinginkids.net/. Read more about the Kalamazoo Promise. Three seminars are currently scheduled at the Institute in September. http://www.upjohn.org

  • Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. Susan Houseman will present her research on "The Effect of Work First Job Placements on the Distribution of Earnings: An Instrumental Variable Quantile Regression Approach."
  • Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. Lars Lefgren from Brigham Young University will give a seminar on the topic "Teacher Heterogeneity, Value Added and Education Policy."
  • Monday, September 24, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. Timothy Bartik and Kevin Hollenbeck will present their research on "Employment Impacts of Washington's High Tech Tax Credit." New working paper by Timothy J. Bartik and Marta Lachowska: The Short-Term Effects of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship on Student Outcomes http://www.upjohn.org In order to study whether college scholarships can be an effective tool in raising students’ performance in secondary school, we use one aspect of the Kalamazoo Promise that resembles a quasi-experiment. The surprise announcement of the scholarship created a large change in expected college tuition costs that varied across different groups of students based on past enrollment decisions. This variation is arguably exogenous to unobserved student characteristics. We estimate the effects of this change by a set of “difference-in-differences” regressions where we compare the change in student outcomes in secondary school across time for different student “length of enrollment” groups. We find positive effects of the Kalamazoo Promise on Promise-eligible students large enough to be deemed important—about a 9 percent increase in the probability of earning any credits and one less suspension day per year. We also find large increases in GPA among African American students. Read the paper. New working paper by Timothy J. Bartik and George A. Erickcek: Simulating the Effects of Michigan's MEGA Tax Credit Program on Job Creation and Fiscal Benefits http://www.upjohn.org This paper simulates job and fiscal impacts of Michigan’s MEGA tax credit program for job creation. Under plausible assumptions about how such credits affect business location decisions, the net costs per job created of the MEGA program are simulated to be of modest size. The job creation impacts of MEGA are simulated to be considerably larger than devoting similar dollar resources to general business tax cuts. The simulation methodology developed here is applicable to incentives in other states. Read the paper. New working paper coauthored by Susan Houseman: The Effect of Work First Job Placements on the Distribution of Earnings: An Instrumental Variable Quantile Regression Approach http://www.upjohn.org NBER Working Paper No. 17972, Issued in April 2012, NBER Program(s): LS. Federal and state employment programs for low-skilled workers typically emphasize rapid placement of participants into jobs and often place a large fraction of participants into temporary-help agency jobs. Using unique administrative data from Detroit's welfare-to-work program, we apply the Chernozhukov-Hansen instrumental variables quantile regression (IVQR) method to estimate the causal effects of welfare-to-work job placements on the distribution of participants' earnings. We find that neither direct-hire nor temporary-help job placements significantly affect the lower tail of the earnings distribution. Direct-hire placements, however, substantially raise the upper tail, yielding sizable earnings increases for more than fifty percent of participants over the medium-term (one to two years following placement). Conversely, temporary-help placements have zero or negative earnings impacts at all quantiles, and these effects are economically large and significant at higher quantiles. In net, we find that the widespread practice of placing disadvantaged workers into temporary-help jobs is an ineffective tool for improving earnings and, moreover, that programs focused solely on job placement fail to improve earnings among those who are hardest to serve. Methodologically, one surprising result is that a reduced-form quantile IV approach, akin to two-step instrumental variables, produces near-identical point estimates to the structural IVQR approach, which is based on much stronger assumptions. The paper is coauthored with David Autor and Sari Pekkala Kerr. Read the paper. Brad Hershbein joins Institute: Labor economist is new staff member http://www.upjohn.org Brad Hershbein joined the Upjohn Institute in August. His fields of interest focus on labor economics, economics of the family, and economics of education, and particularly how all three fields intersect at labor market entry. He is currently examining how employers use the selectivity of school and GPA to infer the productivity of new college graduates, and in a related project, is researching how and why the college grade distribution has changed over the last 40 years and how employers have responded. Additionally, Hershbein is investigating how the rise of family planning programs in the 1960s affected marriage and fertility patterns and the impact that these changing patterns had on the investments and outcomes of children. Hershbein received his PhD in economics from the University of Michigan. Learn more about Brad Hershbein here. Paul Fronstin of EBRI visits the Institute on Wednesday, August 22. http://www.upjohn.org On Wednesday, August 22 at 10:30 am, Paul Fronstin of the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) visits the Institute to present his paper "Innovations in Employment-Based Health Benefits: The Impact of Plan Design on Use of Health Care Services." Institute to host seminar on occupatinoal licensing in dentistry http://www.upjohn.org On Thursday, August 2 at 10:30 a.m., the Institute hosts a seminar by Professor Coady Wing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The topic will be occupational licensing in dentistry. The Infrastructure Imperative http://www.upjohn.org On July 17 Randall Eberts presented and moderated a plenary session at the Council of State Governments Midwestern Conference held in Cleveland. The theme of the session: "Upgrades to the Midwest's infrastructure are tied to the region's economic reinvention and prosperity, as well as how states can move ahead with improvements in key areas such as transportation, broadband, and the electric grid." Access Dr. Eberts' presentation "Economic Benefits of Infrastructure" here. Access the conference Agenda here. The Debate over the State of U.S. Manufacturing: How the Computer Industry Affects the Numbers and Perceptions http://www.upjohn.org In an article appearing in the latest issue of Employment Research, Susan N. Houseman argues that oft-cited manufacturing output and productivity statistics are widely misinterpreted and mask divergent trends within manufacturing. Most notably, the rapid output and productivity growth of the manufacturing sector can be attributed to just one small industry: computers and electronic products. Read the article. New book addresses how the Affordable Care Act will affect employers</a> <link>http://www.upjohn.org</link> <description>The Health and Wealth of a Nation: Employer-Based Health Insurance and teh Affordable Care Act, by Nan L. Maxwell, examines the behavior of firms with respect to their provision of health care prior to ACA deliberations and uses those behaviors to assess changes in employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) once the ACA is fully implemented. Her analysis focuses on potential changes in the ESI offer due to implementation of the ACA with respect to its access and quality. <a href="http://www.upjohn.org/Publications/Titles/TheHealthandWealthofaNation">Read more</a>.</description> </item> <item> <title>Retiree Health Benefits as Deferred Compensation: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study http://www.upjohn.org Are early retiree health benefits (RHBs) a form of deferred compensation that binds workers to an employer? Read this new Upjohn Institute working paper by James Marton and Stephen A. Woodbury. Mediating Incentive Use: A Time-Series Assessment of Economic Development Deals in North Carolina http://www.upjohn.org This new Upjohn Institute working paper uses quasi-experimental methods to measure the impact of state-level economic development incentives on employment growth at the establishment level in North Carolina. The authors are T. William Lester, Nichola Lowe, and Allan Freyer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Increased education and skills yields benefits for individuals and their communities http://www.upjohn.org Economic returns to a person getting more education and skills are not only returns for that individual, there is a strong spillover effect that benefits local and national economies. That's the message deilverd by senior economist Timothy Bartik during a June 13 presentation to "United for Change 2012," an event sponsored by the Greater Kalamazoo United Way, United Way of Greater Battle Creek, Eaton Corp., Stryker, and Southwest Michigan First. In it, Bartik explains how increased education and skills yield spillover benefits for individuals and their communities. Access the presentation titled "Education and Local Economic Development: Why Skills Matter, How We're Doing, and Leverage Points for Change" here. Upcoming seminars http://www.upjohn.org Two seminars are scheduled for June 2012. They are:
    • June 13–Henry Farber, Princeton University: TBA
    • June 25–Marta Lachowska, Upjohn Institute: "The Effect of Pension Wealth on Household Saving: Evidence from the Polish Pension Reform -- A Start-up Seminar"
    Both seminars begin at 10:30 a.m.         Growth in AP enrollment coincides with implementation of Kalamazoo Promise http://www.upjohn.org The Kalamazoo Promise was announced in November 2005. Since then the Kalamazoo community has redoubled its efforts to create a college-going culture within the Kalamazoo Public Schools. One indicator of this effort is an increase in Advanced Placement (AP) enrollment and courses taken. This measure is one of several being tracked by Institute researchers that relate to the Kalamazoo Promise. Learn more here. Position available: Regional Analyst http://www.upjohn.org The Upjohn Institute seeks an individual who is adept at working with data and models pertaining to local economic conditions. Read more. Three seminars currently scheduled for the month of May http://www.upjohn.org Three seminars are currently scheduled for the month of May. They are:
    • May 15 at 1:30 p.m.—George Erickcek and Kevin Hollenbeck will discuss measuring the economic impact of community colleges.
    • May 17 at 10:30 a.m.—Chris Karbownik, Northwestern University, presents "Changes in Student Composition and Teacher Outcomes: Evidence from the Admission Form."
    • May 23 at 10:30 a.m.—Susan Houseman presents "Is U.S. Manufacturing in Crisis? The Narrative Behind the Numbers."
    Institute to add economist to staff http://www.upjohn.orgBrad Hershbein, University of Michigan, will join the Institute beginning in August 2012. Read more. Institute to add two visiting scholars http://www.upjohn.orgMorris M. Kleiner and Zhuan Pei join the Institute as visiting scholars beginning this summer. Read more. Short Hours, Long Hours: Hour Levels and Trends in the Retail Industry in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, by Francoise Carre and Chris Tilly http://www.upjohn.orgNEW WORKING PAPER: Based fieldwork in the United States and Mexico and qualitative literature on Canadian retail work, the authors argue that the combination of business strategies and very different institutional constraints will lead U.S. retailers to a greater extent and Canadian retailers to a lesser extent to shorten hours and expand part-time jobs, whereas in Mexico it will lead retailers to lengthen hours. Read the working paper. Short-Time Compensation as a Tool to Mitigate Job Loss? by Katharine G. Abraham and Susan N. Houseman http://www.upjohn.orgNEW WORKING PAPER: At the start of the recent recession only 17 states offered short-time compensation (STC)—pro-rated unemployment benefits for workers whose hours are temporarily reduced for economic reasons. In this paper we review arguments concerning the desirability of expanding STC programs in the United States and present new evidence on the use of these programs during the recent recession. Our evidence indicates that jobs saved as a consequence of STC could have been significant in sectors like manufacturing that made extensive use of the program. Read the working paper. America's Human Capital Paradox by Thomas A. Kochan http://www.upjohn.org NEW WORKING PAPER: It is widely recognized that human capital is essential to sustaining a competitive economy at high and rising living standards. Yet acceptance of persistent high unemployment, stagnant wages, and other indicators of declining job quality suggests that policymakers and employers undervalue human capital. This paper traces the root cause of this apparent paradox to the primacy afforded shareholder value over human resource considerations in American firms and the longstanding gridlock over employment policy. I suggest that a new jobs compact will be needed to close the deficit in jobs lost in the recent recession and to achieve sustained real wage growth. Read the working paper. Resolving America's Human Capital Paradox: A Jobs Compact for America's Future http://www.upjohn.org In a new Upjohn Institute Policy Paper (and more detailed Working Paper), Thomas A. Kochan posits that, despite ongoing rhetoric concerning the importance of human capital for the U.S. workforce and economy, there is a failure by institutions to put words into deeds and that this lack of action is contributing to the current jobs crisis. He then proposes a strategy for creating 20 million new, high quality jobs by 2020, thereby closing the jobs deficit that resulted from the Great Depression. Michigan’s Schools of Choice Program: Added Value or Zero-Sum Game? http://www.upjohn.org Michigan’s Schools of Choice program is a statewide reform that allows schools to enroll nonresident students from adjoining districts. In a new book from Upjohn Press, Education Reform and the Limits of Policy: Lessons from Michigan, authors Michael F. Addonizio and C. Philip Kearney assess the program and -- despite growing participation statewide -- find the long-term effects and policy implications of the program to be somewhat ambiguous since current methods of reporting student achievement data obscure the impact of Schools of Choice. As they point out, however, the program definitely creates winners and losers. April issue of Employment Research newsletter now available http://www.upjohn.org Two articles are included in the April 2012 issue of Employment Research. They are:

    "Labor Force Participation in Mississippi and Other Southern States," by Marta Lawchowska and Stephen A. Woodbury
    "What Determines Public Pension Investment Risk-Taking Policy?" by Nancy Mohan and Ting Zhang Kevin Hollenbeck selected for team to write book on vocational rehabilitation http://www.upjohn.org Kevin Hollenbeck has been nominated and chosen to serve on the Prime Study Group for the 38th Annual Institute on Rehabilitation Issues (IRI). The topic for this year is "Return on Investment and Economic Impact of Vocational Rehabilitation." The Prime Study Group will write a book to be used primarily as staff development material for VR professionals. Susan Houseman quoted in Washington Posthttp://www.upjohn.org In an article that appeared on March 19 in the online version of the Washington Post, writer Peter Whoriskey cites work coauthed by Susan Houseman and three economists from the Federal Reserve on the uncertainty of the statistics used to gauge the nation's productivity. Speaking about the accuracy of the numbers, Houseman is quoted as saying “The reality is a lot more complex, and not as flattering.”

    Read the article "Economists offer more pessimistic view on manufacturing in upcoming report."

    Read the paper "Offshoring Bias in U.S. Manufacturing," by Susan Houseman, Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann, and Benjamin Mandel. Blogs highlight papers on the economic impacts of birth contol http://www.upjohn.org Two papers coauthored by Brad Hershbein, an economist who will be joining the Institute this summer, provide an interesting look at the economic impacts of access to birth control on women. The first looks at the price elasticity of contraception. The second links access to contraception and higher wages. Both have recently been the subject in several blog postings. The papers are:

    The Impact of Subsidized Birth Control for College Women: Evidence from the Deficit Reduction Act" (with Emily Gray Collins)—discussed by William Saletan at Slate and Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution.

    The Opt-In Revolution? Contraception and the Gender Gap in Wages" (with Martha J. Bailey and Amalia R. Miller)—discussed by Annie Lowery at NY Times' Economix and Ezra Klein at Wonkblog.

    Learn more about Brad Hershbein. Institute announces its 2012 grantees http://www.upjohn.org This year the Institute awarded 13 Early Career Research Grants. View the list of grantees and their projects here. Growing enrollment linked to Kalamazoo Promise http://www.upjohn.org The Kalamazoo Promise was announced in the fall of 2005 with the hope that a universal, place-based scholarship program for students of Kalamazoo Public Schools would reverse declining enrollment and spur growth in the city’s urban core. It appears to be working. Read more about the Kalamazoo Promise. New issue of Business Outlook for West Michigan http://www.upjohn.org The March 2012 issue of Business Outlook for West Michigan is now available. This new issue includes the Institute's West Michigan employment forecast for 2012 and 2013. Access the issue here. Job training for dislocated workers provides long-term benefits http://www.upjohn.org The tax cut bill currently on the President's desk contains provisions intended to update the nation's UI system, including additional help for workers suffering spells of long-term unemployment. Such assistance may include moving more dislocated workers into job training programs, which has been shown to be a good investment, not only for those able to reenter the workforce as a result of training received, but also for society overall. While, as the chart below shows, positive results do not appear in the short-term, the returns are quite substantial over the course of a worker's career. For more see Hollenbeck and Huang (2003); Hollenbeck and Huang (2006); and Hollenbeck (2009). Book review by Timothy Bartik http://www.upjohn.org Timothy Bartik contributed a review of a book on early childhood programs that appears in Educational Researcher. The book, "Childhood Programs and Practices in the First Decade of Life: A Human Capital Integration," contains analysis on the effectiveness of a wide variety of early childhood programs. The book's editors are Arthur J. Reynolds, Arthur J. Rolnick, Michelle M. Englund, and Judy A. Temple. The review is available here. New issue brief on Employer Resource Networks http://www.upjohn.org A new issue brief describes what works in forming successful Employer Resource Networks (ERNs). ERNs are self-funded private sector partnerships intended to facilitate the retention and productivity of employees. In this project, Upjohn Institute staff members interviewed employers who participate in an ERN and developed and disseminated this issue brief intended mainly to inform other employers about the benefits and costs of joining an ERN partnership. Download the issue brief at Families more likely to retire into poverty http://www.upjohn.org Using data from 1989, 2001, and 2007, Edward N. Wolff shows that households headed up by people in the 47–64 age group were increasingly at risk of falling below the poverty line once they retire. Looking at the percent change from 1989 to 2007, 1.4 percent more of those with less than 12 years of schooling were likely to retire in poverty; 7.4 percent more of those with 12 years of schooling; 8.6 percent more of those with 13–15 years of schooling, and 1.0 percent more of those with 16 or more years of schooling. Wolff is the author of The Transformation of the American Pension System: Was It Beneficial for Workers? Research shows that public pension fund managers take on more risk if their funds are underfunded http://www.upjohn.org A new Upjohn Institute working paper by Nancy Mohan and Ting Zhang (both of the University of Dayton) discusses how public pension fund managers, unlike their private counterparts, undertake more risk if they are underfunded and have lower investment returns in the previous years. The paper, "An Analysis of Risk-Taking Behavior for Public Defined Benefit Pension Plans," is available at http://research.upjohn.org/up_workingpapers/179/. Employment Growth from Public Support of Innovation in Small Firms, by Albert N. Link and John T. Scott http://www.upjohn.org In this new book, Link and Scott provide a statistical assessment of the employment growth associated with public support of R&D in small, entrepreneurial firms through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Research by Susan Houseman covered in Washington Monthly http://www.upjohn.org The January/February 2012 issue of "Washington Monthly" contains an article based on recent research by Susan Houseman. The article, "The Myth of American Productivity," by Michael Mandel, describes how globalization impacts the measurement of productivity in the United States. Read the article here. The Transformation of the American Pension System: Was It Beneficial for Workers? by Edward N. Wolff http://www.upjohn.org The share of Americans with defined contribution pension plans now exceeds the share of those with defined benefit plans. Wolff refers to this as the "great transformation" and it leads him to examine recent evidence to see whether there are winners and losers resulting from this switch away from traditional pension plans. Advances in Economic Forecasting, Matthew L. Higgins, ed. http://www.upjohn.org This book's contributors assess the performance of economic forecasting methods, argue that data can be better exploited through model and forecast combination, and advocate for models that are adaptive and perform well in the presence of nonlinearity and structural change. The contributors are: Michael D. Bradley, Dean Croshure, Dennis W. Jansen, Kajal Lahiri, Tae-Hwy Lee, David E. Rapach, and H.O. Stekler. Learn more at http://www.upjohn.org/Publications/Titles/AdvancesinEconomicForecasting. Early Career Research Grants http://www.upjohn.org The Upjohn Institute requests proposals for Early Career Research Grants (previously called Mini-Grants). These grants are intended to provide resources to junior faculty (untenured and within six years of earning the PhD) to carry out policy-related research on labor market issues. The Institute supports and encourages research on all issues related to labor markets and is especially interested in topics related to the recent recession and current recovery. Read more. Including Jobs in Benefit-Cost Analysis http://www.upjohn.org In a new Upjohn Institute working paper, Timothy Bartik offers recommendations on how to better measure employment benefits using estimable parameters. Guidance is provided on measuring policy-induced labor demand, estimating the demand shock's impact on labor market outcomes, and translating labor market impacts into efficiency benefits. Two measures are proposed for efficiency benefits, one relying on adjusted reservation wage gains, the other on adjusted earnings gains. Access the paper. Timothy Bartik addresses CBPP Conference http://www.upjohn.org On November 30, 2011, Timothy Bartik spoke during the opening plenary session of a conference run by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities titled "State Policy Reforms for Stronger State Economies." Bartik's presentation, "State Economic Development Policies: What Works?" is available here. 2011-2012 Werner Sichel Lecture Series: The Economics of Health http://www.upjohn.org The third lecture of Western Michigan University's 2011–2012 Werner Sichel Lecture Series takes place on Wednesday, November 30. John Goddeeris, Michigan State University, presents "Payment Reform and Bending the Cost Curve." The Lecture Series is cosponsored by the Upjohn Institute. Learn more here Unemployment Insurance and Job Search in the Great Recession http://www.upjohn.org Jesse Rothstein, UC-Berkeley, gives a seminar at the Institute on Wednesday, November 16, to present his paper "Unemployment Insurance and Job Search in the Great Recession." The seminar begins at 10:30 am. Susan Houseman presents keynote speech http://www.upjohn.org Susan Houseman presented the keynote speech on "Temporary Help Employment in Recession and Recovery" at the conference on External Forms of Flexibility in the Labour Market: Competition or Complementarity, Catholic University Leuven, Belgium, October 27–28, 2011. Visiting scholar testifies before Senate Finance Committee http://www.upjohn.org Stephen A. Wandner, visiting scholar at the Upjohn Institute, testifies on Thursday, November 10 at the U.S. Senate Finance Committee's hearing on "Unemployment Insurance: The Path Back to Work." Learn more here. Institute staff participate in APPAM's Fall Research Conference http://www.upjohn.org Each fall the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) sponsors a research conference that draws scholars, practitioners, and students "dedicated to improving public policy by fostering excellence in research, analysis, and education." The latest conference, held November 3–5 in Washington, DC, featured several contributions from Institute staff and affiliated scholars. Click here for the conference program and more on APPAM. Unemployment Insurance Exhaustions http://www.upjohn.org Over the past several decades, the rate at which UI recipients run out of benefits before finding work, even in a strong labor market, has been rising. For example, in 1973, 27.4 percent of UI recipients exhausted their benefits; in 2007 (with a similar employment rate) 35.6 percent exhausted.

    In two newly released papers, Institute grantee Ralph E. Smith examines this rise in UI exhaustions and programs designed to reduce long-term unemployment, and considers what policymakers could do to more effectively address this problem.

    Economic Impact of Kalamazoo College http://www.upjohn.org A report released by the Institute on October 17 shows that the presence of Kalamazoo College contributes $32 million to the Kalamazoo metropolitan economy and supports 685 jobs. Read the report here. 2011-2012 Werner Sichel Lecture Series: The Economics of Health http://www.upjohn.org The first lecture of Western Michigan University's 2011–2012 Werner Sichel Lecture Series takes place on Wednesday, October 19. David Meltzer, University of Chicago, presents "Economic Reasons for the Growth of Hospitalists in the United States and Implications for Improved Models of Care for High Risk Patients." The Lecture Series is cosponsored by the Upjohn Institute. Learn more here. NBA: Issues resurface from 1998-1999 lockout http://www.upjohn.org This year the National Basketball Association (NBA) imposed a lockout on its players due to a contract dispute over how to define and share league revenues, the terms of contracts, and more. During the one previous NBA lockout, in 1998–1999, owners and players fought over the same issues before finally settling and playing a shortened season. A paper published by the Upjohn Institute provides a detailed account of those issues and is now available to read online. That paper, "Economic Issues in the 1998–1999 NBA Lockout and the Problem of Competitive Balance in Professional Sports," by Andrew Zimbalist, appears in the book The Economics of Sports, William Kern, Editor.

    Read the paper here. Positions available: Economist, Senior Economist http://www.upjohn.org The Upjohn Institute invites applied PhD economists to apply for a full-time research position. Recent PhDs may apply for an Economist position, and those with more than 5 years of experience and an established publication record in peer-reviewed journals may apply for a Senior Economist position. Read more. American Jobs Act includes proposal for a tax credit to expand payrolls http://www.upjohn.org As part of the American Jobs Act, President Obama proposes temporarily eliminating the 6.2 percent payroll tax firms pay for growth in their payrolls up to $50 million above the prior year. This proposal is similar to the one made by Timothy Bartik of the Upjohn Institute and John Bishop of Cornell University except that the Bartik/Bishop proposal calls for a 15 percent credit. Read Bartik's assessment of the impact of the proposed 6.2 percent credit here. Work Sharing part of American Jobs Act http://www.upjohn.org The American Jobs Act proposed by President Obama on September 8th calls for $49 billion to revise the nation's Unemployment Insurance program. Among the revisions called for is an expansion of work sharing.

    In a recent Upjohn Press book, Solving the Reemployment Puzzle: From Research to Policy, Stephen A. Wandner offers a detailed account of the United States' and other nations' implementation, experience, and success with work sharing programs.

    Excerpts and an ebook version of Solving the Reemployment Puzzle: From Research to Policy are available here from Google Books.

    Read more about work sharing at the Upjohn Institute Web site. Article suggests need for a Job Creation Tax Credit http://www.upjohn.org Timothy Bartik is quoted concerning his proposal for a Job Creation Tax Credit in an article appearing on August 24 in Bloomberg Businessweek. The article, titled "How to Fight the Scourge of Long-Term Unemployment: View," is available here. Measuring Globalization http://www.upjohn.org Susan Houseman is serving as principal investigator of a project that will produce new estimates of trade-linked biases in current economic statistics. These estimates will ultimately advance our understanding of the impact of globalization on the U.S. economy. Titled "Measuring Globalization," the project launched in July and is sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Read more. Earnings Benefits of Tulsa's Pre-K Program for Different Income Groups http://www.upjohn.org A new working paper by Timothy Bartik, William Gormley, and Shirley Adelstein finds positive future adult earnings effects associated with a universal pre-K program in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Read more. New Policy Paper by Morris M. Kleiner addresses labor-market impacts of occupational licensing http://www.upjohn.org There are potential job loss implications in the growth of occupational licensing for the labor market and the economy. An alternative form of regulation, the certification of occupations, which does not impose a "closed shop" on entry and mobility, may be a policy to avoid the job loss implications of occupational licensing. Read more. Institute hosts seminar on occupational licensing http://www.upjohn.org On Friday, July 22, Morris Kleiner, University of Minnesota, presents a seminar titled "Life, Limbs, and Licensing." Kleiner is a visiting scholar at the Upjohn Institute and is the author of Licensing Occupations: Ensuring Quality or Restricting Competition?. Institute hosts seminar: Quasi-Experimental Identification and Estimation in Regression Kink Design http://www.upjohn.org The seminar is being presented on July 21 by Pei Zhuan of Princeton University. Zhuan is currently a visiting scholar at the Upjohn Institute. Institute hosts seminar "Teacher Performance Pay and Student Achievement" http://www.upjohn.org On July 7, Timothy Gronberg of Texas A & M University presents a seminar titled "Teacher Performance Pay and Student Achievement." Gronberg is a visiting scholar at the Institute during the period of July 6 - 8. Responding to Skeptics of Early Childhood Programs as Local Economic Development http://www.upjohn.org In remarks delivered on June 28 to the Great Start Collaboratives of Cass County and Berrien County (Mich.), Timothy Bartik responds to skeptics who question whether high quality early childhood programs can lead to positive local economic benefits. Read his remarks at http://research.upjohn.org/presentations/24/. Institute hosts seminar on how research can, but sometimes doesn't, influence U.S. labor policy http://www.upjohn.org On June 29 Stephen A. Wandner presents a seminar in which he provides an insider's view on how rigorous scientific research is sometimes used, and is sometimes ignored, in the development of U.S. workforce policy and legislation. Wandner's talk is based on his book Solving the Reemployment Puzzle: From Research to Policy Dissertation Award Deadline Nears http://www.upjohn.org The deadline to apply for the 2011 Upjohn Institute Dissertation Award is Friday, July 8, 2011. This annual award for the best PhD dissertation on employment-related issues carries a $2500 first prize. Up to two honorable mention awards of $1000 may also be given. Learn more here or download the 2011 Dissertation Award Announcement. Offshoring http://www.upjohn.org Recent publications by Upjohn economist Susan Houseman explain why the growth of offshoring is resulting in an overstatement of productivity and output growth in the U.S. economy and discuss the implications for employment, wages, and policy.

    • "Offshoring Bias in U.S. Manufacturing" (with Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann, and Benjamin Mandel) in the Journal of Economic Perspectives estimates significant biases to output and productivity growth in manufacturing.
    • "Offshoring and Import Price Measurement," in the Survey of Current Business explains the nature of the measurement bias and reviews research findings presented at a conference sponsored by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Sloan Foundation.
    • "Not All Productivity Gains are the Same. Here's Why" (with Michael Mandel), in What Matters (a McKinsey&Company publication), distinguishes between true domestic productivity growth and apparent productivity growth from offshoring and discusses the implications of the different sources of measured productivity growth for employment, wages, and policy.
    Also see recent coverage of Houseman's research on offshoring by Tyler Cowen and Ezra Klein.     2011 Upjohn Inistitute Dissertation Award http://www.upjohn.org The deadline to apply for the 2011 Upjohn Institute Dissertation Award is Friday, July 8, 2011. This annual award for the best PhD dissertation on employment-related issues carries a $2500 first prize. Up to two honorable mention awards of $1000 may also be given. Learn more here or download the 2011 Dissertation Award Announcement. Institute hosts seminar on UI and the unemployment rate http://www.upjohn.org On Friday, April 15, Matthew J. Notowidigdo will visit the Institute and present the paper titled "Should Unemployment Insurance Vary With the Unemployment Rate? Theory and Evidence." Notowidigdo is at the Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, and his coauthor on the paper is Kory Kroft of the Yale School of Management. Upjohn Press book wins Richard A. Lester Prize http://www.upjohn.org Stephen A. Wandner's "Solving the Reemployment Puzzle: From Research to Policy" has been awarded the Richard A. Lester Prize for the Outstanding Book in Labor Economics and Industrial Relations published in 2010. The prize is given annually by Princeton University's Industrial Relation Section.

    Read more about the book.     New Book! The Performance of Performance Standards http://www.upjohn.org Using a variety of data sources, the contributors - led by Nobel Prize-winning economist James J. Heckman - 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.

    Visit here for more information and to be able to download the introductory chapter.     Upjohn Institute launches blog http://www.upjohn.org The new Upjohn Institute Blog is up and running! The blog is designed to share interesting and useful research and data on labor, economic development, and education/training policies being conducted at the Institute, as well as elsewhere. Look for new posts throughout the week at www.upjohn.org/blog. 2011 grant recipients announced http://www.upjohn.org The Upjohn Institute recently awarded 5 Research Policy Grants and 9 Mini-Grants under its 2011 Grant Program.

    Visit here for the list of recipients.     Tim Bartik to speak at 2011 Great Start Conference http://www.upjohn.org Tim Bartik will be delivering a keynote address at the 2011 Great Start Conference being held in East Lansing, MI. Bartik's address, to be delivered on Tuesday, March 15, is titled "Investing in Kids: Why It Pays Off for State Economies." Tim Bartik to discuss new book at Kazoo Books http://www.upjohn.org On Tuesday, March 8 at 6 pm, Tim Bartik will discuss his new book "Investing in Kids" at the Parkview location of Kazoo Books in Kalamazoo. A book signing will follow.

    Learn more here.     Investing in kids makes economic sense http://www.upjohn.org Three speakers will discuss the merits of investing in early childhood education in an event held on Thursday, February 24 at the Upjohn Institute. Among the speakers is Timothy J. Bartik, author or the new book "Investing in Kids." Bartik will also be signing books at the event.

    Learn more about this event | Investing in Kids.     Susan Houseman comments on offshoring issues in NY Times http://www.upjohn.org In the February 12, 2011 (online) edition of The New York Times, Susan Houseman comments on the importance of offshoring in U.S. manufacturing. For more information on measurement issues arising from offshoring, see here.

    Tim Bartik discusses his new book in radio interview http://www.upjohn.org In a discussion with Gordon Evans of WMUK, Tim Bartik discusses his new book in which he argues that early childhood programs are an effective tool for economic development.

    Access the interview here.     WSJ article highlights occupational licensing http://www.upjohn.org In an article appearing on the front page of the February 7 Wall Street Journal, Professor Morris Kleiner discusses the impacts of occupational licensing on the earnings of people in licensed occupations and the quality of services they provide. Kleiner is the author of the Upjohn Institute-published Licensing Occupations: Ensuring Quality or Restricting Competition?

    Read the WSJ article.     New issue of "Employment Research" now available http://www.upjohn.org The new—January 2011—issue of the Institute's newsletter Employment Research is now available. It contains a series of synopses of papers that were presented at a conference convened at the Institute: "Labor Markets in Recession and Recovery." Those papers will become Institute Working Papers and Policy Briefs and will be available at Upjohn Research.

    Read the newsletter article.     Grant Program deadline nears http://www.upjohn.org The deadline to apply for 2011 Upjohn Institute Research Grant and Mini-Grant funding is February 1, 2011. Proposals may be sent by email to communications@upjohn.org.

    Learn more about the Grant and Dissertations Award programs.     New Book! "Investing in Kids: Early Childhood Programs and Local Economic Development" by Timothy J. Bartik http://www.upjohn.org "Tim Bartik has written a thoughtful book on the value of a local approach to financing and creating early interventions to foster child development. The economic case for supplementing the early environments of disadvantaged children is compelling." –James Heckman, Nobel Prize–winning economist, University of Chicago

    Learn more about this book.     Economist part of panel on C-SPAN http://www.upjohn.org In an event held on December 10 at the Urban Institute, a group of panelists including Tim Bartik talked about the U.S. job market and initiatives that might help lower the unemployment rate. Among the topics addressed during the event titled "Unemployment and U.S. Job Market" were various economic strategies to improve employment, obstacles to job growth for youth and elderly workers, and social safety net programs. Bartik's remarks come in the video at 7:14 to 15:24. He also responds to audience questions toward the end of the video. Investing in Kids blog http://www.upjohn.org Upjohn Institute Senior Economist Tim Bartik has started a new blog. Called "Investing in Kids," it can be found at http://investinginkids.net/. On it, Dr. Bartik will post regular entries that will tackle policy issues relating to early childhood programs, local economic development programs, and local economies. Some of the ideas he will be raising are also explored in his forthcoming book, Investing in Kids: Early Childhood Programs and Local Economic Development. We encourage you to check out his blog for an ongoing conversation on important issues facing communities today, as well as some creative solutions. Institute Staff to present at AEA Meetings http://www.upjohn.org Three Institute economists will present papers at the annual AEA Meetings to be held January 7–9, 2011 in Denver. Being presented are
    • "Short-Time Compensation as a Tool for Mitigating Job Loss," by Susan Houseman (w/Katharine G. Abraham, University of Maryland)
    • "Benefit Payment Costs of Unemployment Insurance Modernization," by Christopher O'Leary
    • "Consumption and Information: A Study of Consumer Behavior using Daily Data," by Marta Lachowska
    In addition, Stephen Woodbury will be chairing two sessions, "Recovery from the Crisis: Comparing Labor Market Policies in Europe and the United States" and "LERA Labor Economics/Labor Markets Section Meeting" (w/Susan Helper, Case Western Reserve University).

    2011 AEA Preliminary Program     Senior Economist Allan Hunt reevaluated service delivery for the workers' compensation system for the Province of British Columbia http://www.upjohn.org Senior Economist Allan Hunt recently completed a reevaluation of service delivery at WorkSafeBC, the workers’ compensation system for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. Hunt was originally asked by the Ministry of Skills Development and Labour to evaluate service delivery at WorkSafeBC in 2001 as part of a Core Review of basic government services. This resulted in his 2002 report, "Why Not the Best," which contained a series of broad recommendations for service improvement. WorkSafeBC invited him to return in 2009 to assess their progress against his 2002 recommendations. Read his newly released report, "Service Delivery Core Review: A Reappraisal." New Book! "The Time Use of Mothers in the United States at the Beginning of the 21st Century" by Rachel Connelly and Jean Kimmel http://www.upjohn.org Basing their analysis on the American Time Use Survey, Connelly and Kimmel delve into the time use of mothers of preteenaged children in the United States and connect their time uses with their children’s development.

    Learn more about this book.     Upjohn Institue releases survey findings on design and economic growth in West Michigan</tltle> <description>This report represents one portion of a larger research effort to estimate the importance of design to regional economic growth in West Michigan. <br /><br /> <a href="http://research.upjohn.org/reports/122/">Read the report</a>. </description> </item> <item> <title>Upjohn Institute announces details on its 2011 Grant Program The Upjohn Institute announces a call for applications for Policy Research Grants and Mini-Grants. Policy Research Grants are open to any interested researcher, while Mini-Grants are restricted to nontenured faculty members. Any proposal related to employment issues will be considered, but the Institute encourages research relevant to labor market issues of the recent recession and current recovery. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2011.

    2011 Grant Announcement     Institute staff to present papers at APPAM Research Conference http://www.upjohn.org Randall W. Eberts and Kevin Hollenbeck will each be presenting papers at the 32nd Annual Research Conference of the Association for Public Policy and Management (APPAM) in Boston this week. Eberts' paper is titled "Tracking the Transition of Michigan's Displaced Auto Workers" and Hollenbeck's "Evaluation of Regional Collaboration for Economic Development."

    Click here for more on the APPAM conference.     New Issue! <i>Employment Research</i> newsletter http://www.upjohn.org The October 2010 issue of Employment Research contains two articles. They are:
    • "Missing Pieces: A New Report to Congress Details Biases and Gaps in Economic Statistics Resulting from Globalization" by Susan N. Houseman
    • "From Workforce Research to Workforce Policy" by Stephen A. Wandner
    Read the articles.     New Book! "Solving the Reemployment Puzzle: From Research to Policy" by Stephen A. Wandner http://www.upjohn.org "As the political tides ebb and flow, Stephen Wandner remains at the heart of American workforce policy—he serves as not just the institutional memory of the Employment and Training Administration, but its conscience as well. This book traces decades' worth of research and experimentation on reemployment. It is scrupulously objective, painstakingly thorough, and (if you have the right attitude about the application of intellectual honesty to making America greater) rather thrilling." –John D. Donahue, Harvard Kennedy School; former Assistant Secretary of Labor

    Learn more about this book.     Upjohn Institute economist proposes plan for creating jobs and increasing productivity in America's economically distressed communities http://www.upjohn.org In a discussion paper prepared for a Brookings Institution Hamilton Project event, Upjohn Institute Senior Economist Timothy J. Bartik lays out a proposal aimed at creating jobs and sustainable economic growth in the nation's economically distressed areas.

    Bartik's proposal includes three research-tested and cost-effective strategies, targeted at distressed areas, that would help businesses expand and workers become better-trained and more productive, including

    The strategies, if adopted, would provide training to 1.5 million workers every year, provide an additional 23,000 manufacturers with extension services annually, and bring jobs to and improve the environment of the 6 million people who live in Empowerment Zones.

    Read the Discussion Paper | Policy Brief
    Learn more about "Hard Times, Solid Policies to Renew American Communities: A Hamilton Project Event with Governor Jennifer Granholm."     Talent 2025: Assessment of the West Michigan Talent Development System http://www.upjohn.org This report offers a three-part analysis of the talent system covered by a nine-county West Michigan region by:
    1. identifying key performance indicators of the local talent system;
    2. asset mapping of high-performing talent development systems to identify key components of success; and
    3. comparing performance gaps between high-performing initiatives and current performance within the Talent 2025 region.
    This unique approach combines a thorough knowledge and experience with data sources and appropriate uses for developing a mix of both social and economic indicators.
    Read report http://research.upjohn.org/reports/121/     Senior Economist Allan Hunt appointed to the Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel of the U.S. Social Security Administration http://www.upjohn.org The mission of the Panel is to provide independent advice and recommendations on plans and activities to replace the Dictionary of Occupational Titles currently used in the Social Security Administration's (SSA) disability determination process. Advice and recommendations relate to SSA's disability programs in the following areas:
    • Medical and vocational analysis of disability claims;
    • Occupational analysis, including definitions, ratings and capture of physical and mental/cognitive demands of work and other occupational information critical to SSA disability programs;
    • Data collection;
    • Use of occupational information in SSA's disability programs; and,
    • Any other areas that enable SSA to develop an occupational information system suited to its disability programs and improve the medical-vocational adjudication policies and processes.
         Upjohn Institute launches new Web site http://www.upjohn.org Our site now features enhanced content and searching capability. Please note that if you are a regular visitor to our site and are used to finding specific items (e.g., working papers, newsletter articles, first chapters of Upjohn Press books, and Business Outlook for West Michigan), the URLs for these items have changed. These and other documents and subject collections are now available at http://research.upjohn.org, the new digital repository for Upjohn Institute research and publications. Recipients of the 2010 Upjohn Institute Dissertation Award Announced http://www.upjohn.org/dissert.html The Institute announces co-winners of its 2010 Dissertation Award. They are Pascal Michaillat, University of California, Berkeley, and Mathew Notowidigdo, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Each receives a $2,000 prize. Ofer Setty, New York University, is an honorable mention. Dr. Setty receives a $750 prize. Measurement Issues Arising from the Growth of Globalization http://www.upjohninstitute.org/globalization.html To improve our understanding of the impact of globalization on the adequacy and accuracy of current economic statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the Sloan Foundation sponsored new economic research for a conference on the "Measurement Issues Arising from the Growth of Globalization." The research papers presented there highlight the critical data gaps and deficiencies that impede our ability to measure accurately the economic impact of globalization on the U.S. economy, and its workers. "Sustainable Prosperity in the New Economy?" wins 2010 Schumpeter Prize Competition http://www.upjohn.org/publications/titles/spne.html The International Schumpeter Society has just named William Lazonick's Sustainable Prosperity in the New Economy the winner of its 2010 Prize Competition. The book explores the origins of the new era of employment insecurity and income inequality, and considers what governments, businesses, and individuals can do to correct these inequities. Lazonick also asks whether the United States can refashion its high-tech business model to generate stable and equitable economic growth.