The All New This Old South

Recent claims concerning the rise of the Sunbelt closely resemble those previously made about the New South. It is assumed that the South has finally broken the ties of dependency with the North and has embarked on a remarkable path of self-sustained growth. In fact, this growth in the South is considered to be largely at the expense of the North. These and other similar claims are based on five assumptions about the South: 1) An economic transformation has occurred in the region; 2) absentee ownership is minimal; 3) benefits of economic growth has been diffused to most segments of the population; 4) economic growth has reduced poverty and inequality in the region; and 5) government spending has spurred much of the region\u27s growth. These assumptions form the basis of the diffusion model of economic-industrial development. Examining these assumptions in light of available data, however, places in question the validity of claims made about the Sunbelt

Temporary employment and strategic staffing in the manufacturing sector

While prior research has identified different ways of using temporary workers to achieve numerical flexibility, quantitative analysis of temporary employment has been limited to a few key empirical indicators of demand variability that may confound important differences. Our analysis provides evidence that many manufacturers use temporary workers to achieve what we call planned and systematic numerical flexibility rather than simply in a reactive manner to deal with unexpected problems. Although temporary work may provide many benefits for employers, a key function appears to be the provision of numerical flexibility not to buffer core workers but to externalize certain jobs. © 2009 Regents of the University of California