The Development of Taxiderny and the History of Ornithology

No abstract available.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the History of Science Society and can be found at: http://www.hssonline.org/

Until Darwin: Science, Human Variety, and the Origins of Race

Book review

Buffon and Daubenton: Divergent Traditions within the Histoire naturelle

No abstract availabl

Using Unexpected Recalls to Examine the Long-Term Earnings Effects of Job Displacement

This paper examines the long-term earnings consequences of permanent layoffs initiated during the early 1990s, using a sample of Massachusetts workers who enrolled in Job Training Partnership Act Title III programs, and who remained strongly attached to the state's labor force. The comparison group is formed by workers who were unexpectedly recalled. On average, recalled workers incurred substantial annual earnings reductions upon reemployment. Nevertheless, one decade later, permanently displaced workers were still earning between 11 and 17 percent less per year than recalled workers with comparable pre-layoff skills and experience. Workers with limited education experienced particularly large earnings reductions from permanent job loss

Private Sector Union Density and the Wage Premium: Past, Present, and Future

The rise and decline of private sector unionization were among the more important features of the U.S. labor market during the twentieth century. Following a dramatic spurt in unionization after passage of the depression-era National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935, union density peaked in the mid-1950s, and then began a continuous decline. At the end of the century, the percentage of private wage and salary workers who were union members was less than 10 percent, not greatly different from union density prior to the NLRA

Are Voluntary Agreements Better? Evidence from Baseball Arbitration

This paper empirically examines the widespread belief that voluntarily negotiated agreements produce better long-run relationships than third-party imposed settlements, such as arbitrator decisions or court judgments. Two key outcomes are analyzed – subsequent player performance and the durability of club-player relationship. Major League Baseball provides a compelling setting for these analyses because individual performance is well measured, there is the possibility of relationship breakdown, and both voluntary and imposed settlements are routinely used. While the results clearly show that a third-party imposed settlement is not better than a voluntary one, the evidence in support of the widespread belief is mixed

Unions, Dynamism and economic performance

This paper explores the relationship between economic performance and US unionism, focusing first on what we do and do not know based on empirical research handicapped by limited data on establishment and firm level collective bargaining coverage. Evidence on the relationship of unions with wages, productivity, profitability, investment, debt, employment growth, and business failures are all relevant in assessing the future of unions and public policy with respect to unions. A reasonably coherent story emerges from the empirical literature, albeit one that rests heavily on evidence that is dated and (arguably) unable to identify truly causal effects. The paper's principal thesis is that union decline has been tied fundamentally to competitive forces and economic dynamism. Implications of these findings for labor law policy and the future of worker voice institutions is discussed briefly in a final section