A Refundable Volunteer Tax Credit

2020 ◽  
pp. 235-252
Author(s):  
David Stoesz
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Minimum Wage ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Tax Credit ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Fire Departments ◽  
Charitable Contributions ◽  
Minimal Support ◽  
County Commissioners ◽  
Essential Services

The depopulation of small towns and rural communities could be ameliorated by a Refundable Volunteer Tax Credit (RVTC) that allows mayors and county commissioners to authorize reimbursement of citizens who volunteer to provide essential services, such as public safety, libraries, building and road maintenance, etc. Pegged at the minimum wage, RVTCs would ensure minimal support for schools, police and fire departments, ambulance services, and the like. In so doing, an RVTC would correct for the disproportionate advantage that cities have enjoyed in charitable contributions, which are encouraged by the tax code, in favor of rural America.

scholarly journals Road Maintenance in Africa: Approaches and Perspectives

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 01005
Author(s):  
Mostafa Hassan M
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Dominant Mode ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Operating Costs ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Over Time

In Africa, roads are the dominant mode of passenger and freight transport, for which the need is growing rapidly. It is noticeable that most of the African countries do not do enough to ensure the sustainability of road infrastructure as it has been widely reported that roads are affected, to varying degrees, by premature deterioration. Most of the African countries have adopted institutional reforms, notably entailing the creation of road funds and road agencies, and made significant progress on road maintenance. However, many challenges remain to be addressed in all of them to ensure appropriate maintenance. Although spending on road maintenance has increased over time in all African countries it remains insufficient to cover the needs. Poorly maintained roads constrain mobility, significantly raise vehicle operating costs, increase accident rates and their associated human and property costs, and aggravate isolation, poverty, poor health, and illiteracy in rural communities. This paper focuses, in particular, on road maintenance in some African countries considering types of road maintenance and the different approaches aiming at a comparison to reflect on similarities and differences.

scholarly journals The how tough is WASH framework for assessing the climate resilience of water and sanitation

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Howard ◽  
Anisha Nijhawan ◽  
Adrian Flint ◽  
Manish Baidya ◽  
Maria Pregnolato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Low And Middle Income

AbstractClimate change presents a major threat to water and sanitation services. There is an urgent need to understand and improve resilience, particularly in rural communities and small towns in low- and middle-income countries that already struggle to provide universal access to services and face increasing threats from climate change. To date, there is a lack of a simple framework to assess the resilience of water and sanitation services which hinders the development of strategies to improve services. An interdisciplinary team of engineers and environmental and social scientists were brought together to investigate the development of a resilience measurement framework for use in low- and middle-income countries. Six domains of interest were identified based on a literature review, expert opinion, and limited field assessments in two countries. A scoring system using a Likert scale is proposed to assess the resilience of services and allow analysis at local and national levels to support improvements in individual supplies, identifying systematic faults, and support prioritisation for action. This is a simple, multi-dimensional framework for assessing the resilience of rural and small-town water and sanitation services in LMICs. The framework is being further tested in Nepal and Ethiopia and future results will be reported on its application.

scholarly journals MP16: Quality of work life among nurses and physicians in Québec rural emergency departments

CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S70
Author(s):  
R. Fleet ◽  
G. Dupuis ◽  
M. Mbakop-Nguebou ◽  
P.M. Archambault ◽  
J. Plant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Career Path ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Quality Of Work Life ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Quality Of Work ◽  
Nurses And Physicians

Introduction: Recruitment and retention of healthcare staff are difficult in rural communities. Poor quality of work life (QWL) may be an underling factor as rural healthcare professionals are often isolated and work with limited resources. However, QWL data on rural emergency (ED) staff is limited. We assessed QWL among nurses and physicians as part of an ongoing study on ED care in Québec. Methods: We selected EDs offering 24/7 medical coverage, with hospitalization beds, in rural or small towns (Stats Canada definition). Of Québec’s 26 rural EDs, 23 (88%) agreed to participate. The online Quality of Work Life Systemic Inventory (QWLSI, with 1 item per 34 “life domains”), was sent to all non-locum ED nurses and physicians (about 500 potential participants). The QWLSI is used for comparing QWL scores to those of a large international database. We present overall and subscale QWL scores as percentiles (PCTL) of scores in the large database, and comparisons of nurses’ and physicians’ scores (t test). Results: Thirty-three physicians and 84 nurses participated. Mean age was 39.8 years (SD=10.1): physicians=37 (7.7) and nurses=40.9 (10.7). Overall QWL scores for all were in the 32nd PCTL, i.e. low. Nurses were in the 28th PCTL and physicians in the 44nd (p>0.05). For both groups, QWL was below the 25th PCTL i.e. very low, for “sharing workload during absence of an employee”, “working equipment”, “flexibility of work schedule”, “impact of working hours on health”, “possibility of being absent for familial reasons”, “relations with employees”. The groups differed (p<0.05) on only two subscales: remuneration and career path. For remuneration, scores were similar on fringe benefits (nurses 22nd PCTL, physicians 32nd) and income security (nurses 72nd, physicians 74th), but differed on income level (nurses 74th, physicians 93rd). The groups differed on all 3 career path items: advancement possibilities (nurses 53th, physicians 91st), possibilities for transfer (nurses 51nd, physicians 84th) and continuing education (nurses 18th, physicians 49th). Conclusion: Overall QWL among rural ED staff is poor. Groups had similar QWL scores except on career path, with physicians perceiving better long-term prospects. Given difficulties in rural recruitment and retention, these findings suggest that QWL should be assessed in rural and urban EDs nationwide.

Earnings, EITC, and Employment Responses to a $15 Minimum Wage: Will Low-Income Workers Be Better Off?

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahad Fahimullah ◽  
Yi Geng ◽  
Bradley Hardy ◽  
Daniel Muhammad ◽  
Jeffrey Wilkins
Keyword(s):  
Minimum Wage ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium Model ◽  
Perfect Competition ◽  
Tax Credit ◽  
Wage Policy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Consumer Prices ◽  
The City

The District of Columbia will increase its minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2020. The city also provides a local refundable earned income tax credit (EITC) equal to 40% of the federal EITC. Using a computable general equilibrium model, the authors estimate the economic impact of the $15 wage policy. They also use a tax policy microsimulation model to estimate how the city’s EITC interacts with a higher minimum wage. Overall, the authors find that the higher minimum wage will produce significant income gains for most of the city’s low-wage workers, with relatively few job losses. Additionally, they forecast that most city EITC recipients will receive a lower EITC, but higher earnings more than offset the reduced tax credit. The model predicts that this policy change would largely be funded by higher consumer prices, lower firm profits, and higher business productivity. These predictions are subject to important caveats, including a local labor market that is likely inadequately characterized in a model assuming perfect competition. Economic policy makers should therefore use such modeling approaches as a powerful but ultimately imperfect tool.

Organizational Description and Emergency Preparedness of Nationally Registered First Responders

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Studnek ◽  
Antonio R. Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
First Responders ◽  
Fire Departments ◽  
Community Size ◽  
Service Type ◽  
In Fire

AbstractIntroduction: This study intended to describe the types of organizations and communities in which Nationally Registered First Responders (NRFR) perform their duties. Also, it aimed to estimate the number of NRFR who received disaster preparedness training. It was hypothesized that NRFR participation in disaster preparedness training was related to the types of organizations and communities in which they performed their duties.Methods: The NRFR re-registering in 2006 were asked to report the organization type and community size in which they work. They also were asked to report the amount and content of preparedness training received during the last 24 months. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was utilized to describe the relationship between NRFR organizational characteristics and the receipt of disaster preparedness training.Results: The analysis included 872 (59%) individuals who completed the survey and reported working for one or more emergency medical services (EMS) organizations. The majority of NRFR performed work in rural areas (75%) and more NRFR reported working for fire departments (61%) than for any other organization type. In all categories of service type, participants who reported working in urban areas had higher odds of receiving disaster preparedness training than those working in rural areas. Additionally, regardless of community size, individuals working in fire departments were more likely to receive disaster preparedness training.Conclusions: This study indicated that the majority of NRFR perform EMS duties for fire departments and work in rural communities. In this sample of NRFR, more than one-quarter did not receive disaster preparedness training within a 24-month period. Finally, a statistical model was constructed that indicated a relationship between service type, community size, and the participation in disaster preparedness training.

Assessing Public Expenditures in Small Towns

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Helpap
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Fire Protection ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Public Expenditures ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Community Characteristics ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Public Resources

Large, urban governments often provide a tremendous variety of public goods, while the expenditures of small communities usually address basic needs such as fire protection and road maintenance. However, certain small local governments dedicate significant public resources to recreation, culture, and public health services, among others. This research examines the variation in services provided by these smaller, often overlooked governments. Differences are explained, at least partially, by various community characteristics, location, and capacity. For the millions of people who reside in these communities, the findings illustrate why variations exist and what, potentially, can be done to alter expenditure levels.

The Optimal Policy Combination of the Minimum Wage and the Earned Income Tax Credit

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miki Malul ◽  
Israel Luski
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Minimum Wage ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Earned Income Tax Credit ◽  
Total Output ◽  
Tax Credit ◽  
Earned Income ◽  
Model Studies ◽  
Short Horizon

Abstract This paper evaluates the consequences of minimum wage (MW) and earned income tax credit (EITC) in a model with heterogeneous costs of investment in human capital. Our model studies the effects of a MW and an EITC on employment, productivity, and total output for two types of groups: those with a low cost of acquiring human capital and a long horizon of earnings (Type Ys); and those with a high cost of acquiring human capital and a short horizon of earnings (Type Os). We assume that Type Ys consider investing in human capital while Type Os have a certain predetermined level of human capital and do not consider changing it. Our model suggests that a government might consider imposing a MW exclusively for Type Y individuals and an EITC exclusively for Type O individuals. Some of the best effects of each policy would therefore be obtained and some of the worst consequences would be avoided.

scholarly journals Talking about the Challenges Faced by Rural Social Management in the Background of New Urbanization

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Meng Xu
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Urbanization Process ◽  
Coordinated Development ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
New Type ◽  
Social Management ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
New Urbanization

<p>New-type urbanization is a coordinated development of large, medium and small cities, small towns, and new rural communities. Strengthening rural social management is an important link in promoting the new urbanization process. This article makes an objective analysis of the relationship between rural rejuvenation and new urbanization, national policies conducive to rural development, and challenges and countermeasures in rural social management.</p>

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