Burkhauser and Daly claim that Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is growing at an unsustainable rate and has depressed employment rates and incomes of people with disabilities following enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. In the authors' view, SSDI is sustainable and affordable, despite increasing prevalence of…

A study of Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides insight into income stagnation and the future of the economy. Evidence confirms that the roots of the widening income gap are deep and the problem will not soon disappear. (JOW)

Examines economist Finis Welch's hypothesis that the observed convergence in earnings between Blacks and Whites is due primarily to similar productivity characteristics between young Black and White workers. Argues that although among employed Black and White youths earnings may be similar, data on higher joblessness among Blacks overturn the…

Estimates of discrimination represent poor guides to decision making when discrimination is defined too broadly, when earnings differentials are not properly adjusted for changes in relative productivity, and when the present-value method used is not well-suited to the problem. Available from The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 50…

Statistics suggest that, despite ongoing financial difficulties, the rate of graduation from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) is improving, and students of these colleges have higher average wages than similar individuals who did not attend college or who attended non-HBCUs. (MSE)

Recent research has studied the link between schooling and income. Evidence indicates the strong relationship found between level of education and lifetime earnings levels. Labor economists have designed studies and measured educational outcomes to differentiate between earnings associated with innate ability and earnings associated with…

The new Australian Higher Education Contribution Scheme allows students to either pay a standard tuition charge on enrollment or defer payment until they are earning at least the current average taxable income. At that point, they incur a debt to the government for the amount deferred and repayment rate is based on income. Conceptual bases and…

An analysis of the economic returns of education in Australia finds a rising need for education at a time of diminishing apparent returns. It is proposed that the notions of credentialism and education as a positional good provide a better explanation for this phenomenon than does the human capital approach. (MSE)

Affirmative action is a necessary and effective strategy to end racial and gender inequalities. While moral and historical defenses of affirmative action have merit, economic reasoning is a more potent argument. Analysis of the economic costs and benefits of affirmative action in higher education illustrate its effectiveness in reducing income…

Although most women are now working outside the home, gender equity in the labor force has not been achieved. Women are still concentrated in low-paying, traditionally female-dominated occupations (such as clerical and retail sales), while most jobs in the higher paying, more prestigious professions are held by men. Despite attempts to reduce…

Discusses educational equality and inequality from an economist's perspective. Considers human capital theory and interpretation of life cycles in learning and earning. Addresses schooling and experience components of changes in the inequality of earned incomes, educational expansion, and inequalities in schooling. Explores the roles of skill…

Although the distribution of income has become more equitable for some groups, inequitable distribution has affected the poor, minorities, and women most adversely. Income inequality and poverty may be attributed to ability differences, education and training, job tastes, property ownership, market power, and discrimination. In economics, the…

The human capital and growth accounting approaches to measuring the benefits of education both have serious weaknesses. Like other goods and services, educational services have effects on the economic well-being of individuals and families. Because the economic well-being effects of education include private marketed and non-marketed impacts as…

The benefits of offering high school students career and technical education (CTE) in addition to training in basic academic skills and the cost-effectiveness of CTE were examined by reviewing available data on demand, supply, and results for CTE. The analysis confirmed that the market and demand for workers with only a high school education still…

The case for and consequences of redefining poverty were considered. The analysis focused on the following issues: (1) remeasuring poverty in a time of prosperity; (2) alternative poverty measures; (3) consequences of and enhanced poverty threshold; (4) assessing the performance of employment and training programs in achieving income adequacy…