The Great Recession was one of the sharpest economic downturns of the past century, with significant impacts across the U.S. labor market. Over past decades, one key feature of the U.S. labor market has been the high and stable returns to education. In this paper I estimate the returns to education for large samples of young workers in Arkansas…

Efforts to enhance college going rates have employed a number of strategies, such as improving recruitment efforts and enhancing financial aid packages. Little effort, however, has been directed at looking at the social and human capital that might impact a residential community, and the subsequent influence this community might have on a…

Explores economic effects of increased educational expenditures on a state's economy, based on a proposal to shift $50 million from noneducational services to public education in the Arkansas state budget. This would generate a net gain of $13.1 million in total personal income and a $1 million net revenue gain. (Contains 17 footnotes.) (MLH)