scholarly journals The Right to Work, Power Resources, and Economic Inequality

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom VanHeuvelen
Keyword(s):  
Wage Inequality ◽  
Union Membership ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Labor Union ◽  
Economic Inequality ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Right To Work ◽  
The Us ◽  
Right To Work Laws

How do Right to Work laws affect the distribution of economic resources? While sociological theories would predict inequality to increase following the passage of Right to Work laws, previous research has found these laws to be largely inconsequential for economic inequality. Drawing on power resources theory, I reassess the consequences of Right to Work laws and allow their impact to depend upon local union membership. To do so, I construct unique datasets at the state and commuting zone levels of income and wage inequality, merging data from the Internal Revenue Service, the US census, the American Community Survey, the US Union Sourcebook, the Current Population Survey, and the National Labor Relations Board for years 1939 to 2016. After using two-way fixed effects and instrumental variable regression models to replicate inconsistent results of previous studies, I show that these mask substantial and robust heterogeneity across local areas. Simply put, Right to Work laws are highly consequential when passed in times and places where labor has something to lose. Right to Work laws remove the negative association between labor union membership and inequality, while the consequences of Right to Work passage are greatest in highly unionized areas. In total, results suggest that Right to Work laws work as intended, increasing economic inequality indirectly by lowering labor power resources. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Class Size and Learning: Has India Spent Too Much on Reducing Class Size?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandip Datta ◽  
Geeta Kingdon
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Class Size ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Learning Gain ◽  
A Value ◽  
The Us ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Pupil Learning

This paper examines the efficacy of class-size reductions as a strategy to improve pupils’ learning outcomes in India. It uses a credible identification strategy to address the endogeneity of class-size, by relating the difference in a student’s achievement score across subjects to the difference in his/her class size across subjects. Pupil fixed effects estimation shows a relationship between class size and student achievement which is roughly flat or non-decreasing for a large range of class sizes from 27 to 51, with a negative effect on learning outcomes occurring only after class size increases beyond 51 pupils. The class-size effect varies by gender and by subject-stream. The fact that up to a class-size of roughly 40 in science subjects and roughly 50 in non-science subjects, there is no reduction in pupil learning as class size increases, implies that there is no learning gain from reducing class size below 40 in science and below 50 in non-science. This has important policy implications for pupil teacher ratios (PTRs) and thus for teacher appointments in India, based on considerations of cost-effectiveness. When generalised, our findings suggest that India experienced a value-subtraction from spending on reducing class-sizes, and that the US$3.6 billion it spent in 2017-18 on the salaries of 0.4 million new teachers appointed between 2010 and 2017 was wasteful spending rather than an investment in improving learning. We show that India could save US$ 19.4 billion (Rupees 1,45,000 crore in Indian currency) per annum by increasing PTR from its current 22.8 to 40, without any reduction in pupil learning.

scholarly journals Internal devaluation and economic inequality in Portugal: challenges to industrial relations in times of crisis and recovery

2021 ◽  
pp. 102425892199500
Author(s):  
Maria da Paz Campos Lima ◽  
Diogo Martins ◽  
Ana Cristina Costa ◽  
António Velez
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Wage Inequality ◽  
Economic Inequality ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
National Level ◽  
Wage Share ◽  
Recovery Dynamics ◽  
Wage Increases ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Wage Outcomes

Internal devaluation policies imposed in southern European countries since 2010 have weakened labour market institutions and intensified wage inequality and the falling wage share. The debate in the wake of the financial and economic crisis raised concerns about slow wage growth and persistent economic inequality. This article attempts to shed light on this debate, scrutinising the case of Portugal in the period 2010–2017. Mapping the broad developments at the national level, the article examines four sectors, looking in particular at the impact of minimum wages and collective bargaining on wage trends vis-à-vis wage inequality and wage share trajectories. We conclude that both minimum wage increases and the slight recovery of collective bargaining had a positive effect on wage outcomes and were important in reducing wage inequality. The extent of this reduction was limited, however, by uneven sectoral recovery dynamics and the persistent effects of precarious work, combined with critical liberalisation reforms.

scholarly journals Alternate care sites during the COVID-19 pandemic: Policy Implications for pandemic surge planning

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sue Anne Bell ◽  
Lydia Krienke ◽  
Kathryn Quanstrom
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Capacity Planning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Multiple Response ◽  
Current Policy ◽  
Surge Capacity ◽  
Effective Care ◽  
The Us ◽  
Staffing Needs

Abstract Alternate care sites across the US were widely underutilized during the COVID-19 outbreak, while the volume and severity of COVID-19 cases overwhelmed health systems across the United States. The challenges presented by the pandemic have shown the need to design surge capacity principles with consideration for demand that strains multiple response capabilities. We reviewed current policy and previous literature from past ACS as well as highlight challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, to make recommendations that can inform future surge capacity planning. Our recommendations include: 1) Preparedness actions need to be continuous and flexible; 2) Staffing needs must be met as they arise with solutions that are specific to the pandemic; 3) Health equity must be a focus of ACS establishment and planning; and 4) ACS should be designed to function without compromising safe and effective care. A critical opportunity exists to identify improvements for future use of ACS in pandemics.

Insulin Glargine and Risk of Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinli Du ◽  
Rihua Zhang ◽  
Yi Xue ◽  
Dong Li ◽  
Jinmei Cai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Glargine ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Cancer Occurrence ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Us ◽  
Risk Of Cancer

Aims Recently, more and more attention has been drawn on the long-term effects of insulin glargine. Here we strived to estimate the association of cancer occurrence with the use of insulin glargine. Methods We searched all the publications regarding the association between cancer occurrence and the use of insulin glargine using the US National Library of Medicine's PubMed database. Data were independently extracted and analyzed using random or fixed effects meta-analysis depending upon the degree of heterogeneity. Results Seven cohort studies were included in the meta-analysis. Cancer occurrence had no significant difference in glargine-treated patients compared to patients treated with other insulins (RR=0.86, 95% CI=0.69–1.07, p=0.17, Pheterogeneity <0.00001). In our subgroup analysis, glargine, compared to other insulins, did not increase the risk of breast cancer (RR=1.14, 95% CI=0.65–2.02, p=0.65, Pheterogeneity=0.002), prostate cancer (RR=1.00, 95% CI=0.79–1.26, p=0.99, Pheterogeneity=0.78), pancreatic cancer (RR=0.57, 95% CI=0.14–2.35, p=0.44, Pheterogeneity=0.0002) and gastrointestinal cancer (RR=0.80, heterogeneity 95% CI=0.62–1.02, p=0.07, Pheterogeneity=0.86). Conclusions This meta-analysis of open-label studies does not support an increased cancer risk in patients treated with insulin glargine. The result provides confidence for the development of insulin glargine, but needs confirmation by further clinical studies.

scholarly journals Exploring Attitudes About the Legality of Self-Managed Abortion in the US: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Raifman ◽  
M. Antonia Biggs ◽  
Lauren Ralph ◽  
Katherine Ehrenreich ◽  
Daniel Grossman
Keyword(s):  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Law ◽  
Nationally Representative

Abstract Introduction Twenty-four states have at least one law in place that could be used to prosecute people for self-managed abortion (SMA), or the termination of a pregnancy outside of the formal healthcare system. We investigated factors associated with public attitudes about SMA legality and legal access to abortion more generally. Methods In August 2017, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of English- and Spanish-speaking women ages 18–49 years in the United States (US) using Ipsos Public Affairs’ KnowledgePanel. Unadjusted and adjusted multinomial logistic regression estimates identify characteristics associated with believing that SMA should not be against the law, compared to should be against the law, with weighting to account for sampling into the panel. Results Overall, 76% (95% CI: 74.3%-77.1%) and 59% (95% CI: 57.3%-60.4%) of participants (n = 7,022, completion rate 50%) reported that abortion and SMA, respectively, should not be against the law; 1% and 19% were unsure. Among those living in a state with at least one law that could be used to prosecute an individual for SMA, the majority (55%, 95% CI: 52.7%-57.9%) believed SMA should not be against the law. Factors associated with believing SMA should not be against the law, compared to should be against the law, included prior abortion experience and higher levels of education and income. Conclusion Most reproductive age women in the US believe that SMA should not be criminalized. There is more uncertainty about SMA legality than about the legality of abortion more generally. Policy Implications US laws that criminalize SMA are not supported by the majority of the people living in their jurisdictions.

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