The Union County Economic and Workforce Competitiveness Project

This report is intended to assist Union County officials and their partners to develop an economic growth and workforce development strategy for the county that is informed by an analysis of available labor market information, input from various experts in the region's economy and future development plans, and other relevant data

The return of the bow shock

Recently it has been discussed whether a bow shock ahead of the heliospheric stagnation region does exist or not. This discussion was triggered by measurements indicating that the Alfv\'en speed and that of fast magnetosonic waves are higher than the flow speed of the local interstellar medium (LISM) relative to the heliosphere and resulted in the conclusion that there might exist either a bow wave or a slow magnetosonic shock. We demonstrate here that including the He$^{+}$ component of the LISM yields both an Alfv\'en and fast magnetosonic wave speed lower than the LISM flow speed. Consequently, the scenario of a bow shock in front of the heliosphere as modelled in numerous simulations of the interaction of the solar wind with the LISM remains valid.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted, 12-01-2013. ApJ, 201

Culture as Non-Consensus: Exploring Coherence Among Native Speakers’ Perceptions of German Expressions of Affection

From early in their learning experience, foreign language (FL) learners at American universities explore socio-cultural connotations that, it is argued, are signified by FL words. Textbook authors and teachers follow an implicit canon of difference, a list of iconic words that over time—and without the benefit of empirical evidence—have come to represent essential differences in outlook between their native and the FL culture (Kubota, 2004). Despite the fast progression of the theory of teaching culture in FL learning (Kramsch, 2015; Risager, 2015), large empirical gaps remain. Todate, there is little evidence that native speakers (NSs) of the FL perceive their cultural practices, including the cultural contexts in which language is used, homogenously enough to warrant their status as cultural traits. Using the example of expressions of affection, this exploratory study drew on qualitative and quantitative questionnaire data to investigate whether German NSs’ (N=52) accounts of their own and of most fellow Germans’ language behavior converged enough to derive a comprehensive and reliable cultural norm. Results indicated a lack of consensus among German NSs’ self-reported views, eluding the assumption of a pertinent community-specific norm. Implications for FL teaching and learning, as well as directions for future research, are discussed

Understanding the Workforce Needs of New Jersey's Public Health and Other Disaster Management Employers

This report explores the priority workforce needs of New Jersey's public disaster management system. An advisory group of disaster management-related employers from law enforcement and state and local public health systems and educational institutions was convened in the spring of 2006 to identify priority workforce skill needs. Researchers also conducted interviews with state officials, domestic security, public health, and disaster planning experts, as well as reviews of labor market information, state and national websites, and industry and scholarly literature

Unlocking the Treasure Chest of Labor Market Information: Crucial Information for Job Seekers, Educators, and Employers in a Tough Economy

Quality labor market data and analysis is critical to developing effective market-driven workforce and economic strategies in states, regions, and localities. Such information can be complex, intimidating, and overwhelming to many users, however. This issue brief offers a framework for understanding workforce information, including a summary of the different types of consumers of information and their need for comprehensive data and analysis about the labor market. It identifies the publicly available information sources that produce the data and provides suggestions on how to identify and address the gaps between user needs and the availability of reliable and timely data and analytical capacity to enable effective and informed decision-making by data consumers. Finally, it recommends ways in which states and local areas can make workforce information more readily available to consumers who must make important decisions

Germany and the European Business Cycle - An Analysis of Causal Relations in an International Real Business Cycle Model

This paper studies the role of the German economy for the existence of the so called European business cycle, a term referring to the regularly observed synchronization of the national business cycles in Europe. Using a three-country general equilibrium model, we are able to simulate impulse response functions mimicking the important features observed in the data. Focusing on the importance of shocks affecting the German GDP we show that trade-related transmission from Germany to the other European economies is only of minor importance for the synchronization of national business cycles. On the contrary, our findings suggest that the influence of common shocks and of technology spillovers accounts for most of the parallels in economic performance.European business cycle; Transmission; Open economy macroeconomics; Real business cycles

The Future of the International Monetary System

The financial crisis of 2007/2008 and the current "Euro crisis" challenge the current global monetary system. They drastically reveal the actual system's weaknesses und show the eminent importance of the international monetary system for the stability of markets and national economies. DIW Berlin was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Finance to research possible alternatives to the existing exchange rate regime. In principle, neither of the two extremes - completely free or fixed exchange rates - is suitable. A mixed system is preferable - with improvements to the status quo, though. An exchange rate regime with few big currency areas, which are linked to each other with flexible exchange rates, should be the aim of reforms. This should correspond to a multi-polar key currency system with the currently dominating US Dollar and the Euro as well as the Chinese Renmimbi as most important actors. These developments should be accompanied by substantial improvements in the regulatory framework of the financial markets. Necessary elements are a reinforced global and especially European economic coordination and an internationally agreed-on, assertive financial market authority.International Monetary System, Key Currency, Exchange Rate System, Financial Crisis, International Economic Policy