The Economic and Organizational Basis of Early United States Strikes, 1900–1948

ILR Review ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack W. Skeels

This paper examines the question of whether economic factors played an important role in determining strike activity in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. A review of recent research shows one author, David Snyder, concluding that economic factors mattered little during that period and that union organization and political variables explained much more; and another, P. K. Edwards, concluding the opposite. A retest of these authors' analyses, employing ordinary least squares regression and a variety of measures, suggests that Snyder's position is more sound. This author argues, however, that Edwards was correct in claiming that economic factors are major determinants of the extent of unionism as well as of strike activity, and thus one needs to apply a two-stage least squares test of the Snyder hypothesis. When that is done, the results show that economic variables are highly significant determinants of strike activity throughout the pre-1949 period, but for the subperiod 1921–29 noneconomic factors also play a role.

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Lewis

When explaining the success of the Prohibition movement in the United States between 1900 and 1920, scholars argue that prohibitionists were able both to tap into the distrust of many rural, native-born, evangelical Protestants toward modern urban life and to bring together disparate groups of reformers around one goal: the elimination of the saloon. Furthermore, localized campaigns resulting in the elimination of saloons from many rural areas kept this base of voters energized, ultimately leading to impressive dry turnouts in statewide Prohibition referenda. This study extends and amplifies these findings through an analysis of three sets of factors on voting outcomes: the percentage of various demographic groups (urban, immigrant, and ritualistic religious populations) residing in a county; the distance of each county to saloons; the presence or absence of producers of alcohol in a county. Results of ordinary least-squares regression demonstrate that access to saloons and the percentage of immigrant and ritualistic church members in a county are the variables that most influence the results of Prohibition referenda. Furthermore, unlike what previous research has demonstrated, these variables have their greatest influence by affecting wet turnout rates.


Author(s):  
Jorge Ruiz-Menjivar ◽  
Tracy Johns ◽  
Tara Counts ◽  
Yong Liu ◽  
Jennifer Amanda Jones

This study examines public employees’ donations to a workplace giving campaign at a large public university in the south-east of the United States. First, we employed logistic regression to predict the likelihood of donating through workplace giving programmes using a sample of employees at a large public university (N = 11,726). Second, we estimated an ordinary least squares regression to identify the significant predictors of donation value with a subsample of employee donors (n=1,832). Third, we developed donor profiles (for example, clusters) of employee benefactors using K-medoids clustering. Factors such as sex, age, education and salary were significant predictors of both being a donor and the donation amount. Additionally, employment duration was significantly related to being a donor and the donation amount, while job classification only predicted being a donor. Employee donors fell into five distinct clusters. These findings contribute to our knowledge of workplace giving campaigns and can be used to develop strategic marketing campaigns.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Muhammad Umar Farooq ◽  
Junrui Zhang ◽  
Muhammad Abdul Majid Makki ◽  
Muhammad Kaleem Khan

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the question concerning whether gender diversity in the boardroom matters to lenders or not? Design/methodology/approach To answer this question, the authors use the data from 2009 to 2015 of all A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. The authors use ordinary least squares regression and firm fixed effect regression to draw our inferences. To check and control the issue of endogeneity the authors use one-year lagged gender diversity regression, two-stage least squares regression, propensity score matching method and Heckman two-stage regression. Findings The results suggest that the presence of female directors on the board reduces managerial opportunistic behavior and information asymmetry and, consequently, creditors’ perceptions about the probability of loan default and the cost of debt. The authors find that lenders charge 4 per cent less from borrowers that have at least one female board member than they do from borrowers with no female board members. The authors also find that the board structure (i.e. gender diversity) of government-owned firms also matters to lenders, as government-owned firms that have gender-diverse boards have a lower cost of debt (i.e. 5 per cent lower interest rate). Practical Implications The findings have implications for individual borrowers and for regulators. For example, borrowers can get debt financing at lower rates by altering their boards’ composition (i.e. through gender diversity). From the regulatory perspective, the results support recent legislative initiatives around the world regarding female directors’ representation on boards. Originality Value This paper makes several contributions. First, beyond the recent studies on boardroom gender, the authors investigate the relationship between gender diversity in the boardroom and the cost of debt. Second, the authors extend the literature on the association between government ownership and cost of debt by first time providing evidence that the board composition (e.g. gender diversity) of government-owned firms also matters to the lenders. The other contributions are discussed in the introduction section.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Russell

Purpose – This paper aims to examine whether firms with high information asymmetry disclose more information under a continuous disclosure regime, and, second, the paper examines whether continuous disclosures reduce information asymmetry. Design/methodology/approach – The study models relations between continuous disclosures and information asymmetry using ordinary least squares regression and two-stage least squares regression. Findings – The study finds firms with high information asymmetry disclose more information. Further, the study finds that disclosure in the presence of high information asymmetry increases asymmetry. Finally, while bad news increases information asymmetry, the disclosure of firm-specific good and bad news is associated with reduced information asymmetry. Originality/value – The paper identifies conditions under which Continuous Disclosure Regime increases information in markets and influences information asymmetry.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (04) ◽  
pp. 1750023
Author(s):  
PEDRO ORRACA ◽  
MARTIN RAMIREZ-URQUIDY ◽  
NATANAEL RAMIREZ

This study examines the characteristics of self-employed workers who reside in Mexico but work in the United States and the factors behind their decision to become cross-border entrepreneurs. This group is compared to entrepreneurs who live and operate in Mexico. Based on census data from Mexico, it is observed that cross-border entrepreneurs are older and more educated, and have stronger ties to the United States, shorter workweeks and higher hourly and monthly earnings than self-employed workers who live and work in Mexico. A series of probit models show that years of schooling, having previously resided in the United States and having an adult in the household who was born in the United States increase the likelihood of becoming a cross-border entrepreneur. Ordinary least squares earnings regressions show that years of schooling and years of work experience are positively associated with the earnings of entrepreneurs operating in Mexico, but not with those of cross-border entrepreneurs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianmin Sun ◽  
Keh Kwek ◽  
Min Li ◽  
Hongzhou Shen

This paper examines the effects of stringency measures (provided by the Oxford Coronavirus Government Response Tracker) and total time spent away from home (provided by the Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports) on the COVID-19 outcomes (measured by total COVID-19 cases and total deaths related to the COVID-19) in the United States. The paper focuses on the daily data from March 11, 2020 to August 13, 2021. The ordinary least squares and the machine learning estimators show that stringency measures are negatively related to the COVID-19 outcomes. A higher time spent away from home is positively associated with the COVID-19 outcomes. The paper also discusses the potential economic implications for the United States.


2020 ◽  
pp. 089826432098025
Author(s):  
Yan-Liang Yu ◽  
Hui Liu

Objective: The link between marital quality and cellular aging remains underexplored. This study examined how both positive and negative marital quality were associated with salivary telomere length among partnered adults in the United States over the age of 50°years. Methods: Data were from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study ( N = 3203). Ordinary least squares regression was used to estimate the link between marital quality and telomere length. Results: While neither positive nor negative marital quality was significantly associated with telomere length among older women, positive and negative marital quality had an interacting effect on telomere length among men. Specifically, when negative marital quality was low, higher positive marital quality was associated with shorter telomere length, whereas when negative marital quality was high, higher positive marital quality was associated with longer telomere length. Discussion: The findings speak to the complex nature of intimate partnerships and the implications of these partnerships for cellular aging processes.


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