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…

This document is a transcript of a seminar that explored the long-term causes and consequences of the decline in wages, incomes, and living standards experienced in the United States in the last 12 years. It was published in order to encourage wider public discussion of the causes of U.S. economic problems so that citizens, the press, and public…

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…

States that despite spending massive amounts of money to expand their educational systems, poor countries have witnessed a 4-decade decline in their medium economic growth rates from 3 percent in the 1960s to zero percent in the 1990s. Offers several reasons for the decline, such as variations in the quality of education and low labor…

The issue of subminimum wages for full-time students who are working part-time is discussed in this publication of the National Student Association. It is suggested that large corporations and institutions of higher education are benefiting from these low wages, while students trying to finance their education during a time of growing inflation…

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…

Improving compensation in early care and education (ECE) has been and will continue to be an extremely difficult policy issue. The Mailman Family Foundation and the Foundation for Child Development convened a group of 18 representatives of diverse disciplines concerned about child- and elder-care compensation. This report details the issues…

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)

In 1993, 10.4 million people were classified as being among the working poor. Of those individuals living in poverty, 2.4 million worked year round at full-time jobs and 7.4 million lived in a household containing someone who was employed full time throughout the year. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report identified low earnings, involuntary…

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…

This report presents the results of a study of higher education in California, focusing on the impending fiscal crisis of increasing demand, tuition, and costs. The study found that at a time when the educational needs for productive employment are increasing, college costs and demand are rising faster than funding. Until now, institutions have…