Elasticity of Supply to the Firm and the Business Cycle

A body of recent empirical work has found strong evidence that the labor elasticity of supply to the firm is finite, implying that firms may have wage setting power. However, these studies capture only snapshots of the parameter. We study this parameter over a period that provides substantial variation in the business cycle. Using a rich employee level dataset from the inter-war period, we are able to estimate the elasticity of supply to the firm during several recessions and expansions. Our analysis suggests that the elasticity is indeed lower during recessions, consistent with the comparative statics from the Burdett-Mortensen search model. This differential wage setting power over the business cycle provides an alternative explanation of the pro-cyclicality of wages.business cycles, labor market frictions, monopsony

Over-Manipulated and Under-Funded: Louisiana\u27s Pension Problem and Its Impact on Public Employees

The article focuses on challenges surrounding Louisiana\u27s pension system, and its impact on public employees, and includes enactment of Social Security Act and Pension Protection Act for addressing the same; Louisiana State Employees\u27 Retirement System; and offering benifits to public employees

Perception of the School Experiences of Five Generations of Deaf Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate deaf participants’ perspectives of their educational experiences within the last 50 years. The study was comprised of five deaf participants educated in the public school setting, and four deaf participants educated in the residential setting. The qualitative study utilized three in-depth interviews, a survey, and the researcher’s reflections/notes. The findings suggest deaf students’ educational experiences are impacted by low academic expectations. Sign language can be a powerful learning tool or a barrier for deaf students as deaf students depend on sign language and visuals to support their learning. Both spoken and written English are likely to be a struggle for deaf students. Emotional difficulties were associated with public and residential settings for the participants. Personal motivations, family members, and the type of setting had powerful influences on the participants. Freire’s (1993) theoretical framework of liberation was utilized in this study to engage participants in dialogue about the perceptions of their educational experiences

Investigating Factors That Impact Income Generation and Distribution in Western National Park Gateway Communities

Many rural towns in the western united states have come to be defined by high levels of tourism, seasonal residents, and migration driven by the desire to be close to natural amenities and the higher quality of life they afford. This shift is especially apparent in communities that are “gateways” to natural amenities such as national parks. Embracing this shift towards the “New West,” many community planners have heralded amenity-led development as a remedy to the waning feasibility of relying on agriculture and extractive industries. However, anecdotal evidence and several case studies indicate the factors which make these gateway communities unique can lead to a lower incomes and increased income inequality. This work is a regional study of the factors that effect income generation and distribution in western gateway communities near national parks. Through an examination of the literature, seven unique variables were identified as having the potential to effect income and income inequality in gateway communities; these variables were: park visitation, proximity to park visitor’s center, number of other gateway communities within 16.1 km (10 miles) of the park, the population size of the gateway community, it’s migration rate, it’s proportion of seasonal residential units, and it’s proportion of jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry. Using data from the American Community Survey as well as open-source GIS, I investigate two primary research questions: Research question 1: Are there significant trends in the income profiles of gateway communities? And, do these trends in income profiles differ from comparable non-gateway communities? Research question 2: Are there significant relationships between the unique characteristics of gateway communities and the income generation and distribution within these communities? Results suggest a negative trend in gateway community earnings from 2010 to 2019. In addition, gateway communities have had significantly lower mean earnings than comparable benchmark communities. The proportion of in-migration, the proportion of seasonal residential units, the proportion of jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry, and the interaction between the latter two variables had a significant and negative impact on income in gateway communities. In my discussion, I detail how these results can guide community planning and decision making within gateway communities outside of national parks

A Business Plan Outlining Strategies To Effectively Motivate Individuals To Develop Clean, Sustainable Lifestyles

With an ever-growing worldly human population, our current frivolously lavish lifestyles will need to change to sustain a balance on Earth. The purpose of this study was to craft a business plan with accompanying tools to build a solid foundation for the small business called Cut Fluff. The mission of Cut Fluff is to educate and inspire individuals to create their own clean, sustainable lifestyle to lower their impact on earth. A clean, sustainable lifestyle not only decreases an individual’s ecological footprint, but it also brings wellness, purpose, and abundance into their lives with the three core pillars. The core pillars are connecting with nature, intentional consumerism, and minimalism. The research question addressed in this project was, what business strategies effectively motivate individuals to develop clean, sustainable lifestyles? Based on the information uncovered when researching business plans, human behavior changes, and the lifestyle, the project came together swiftly to advance the business. The business plan and accompanying tools will continue to develop and grow with time, experience, and more research