Is it Easier to Escape from Low Pay in Urban Areas? Evidence from the UK

In this paper we compare periods of low pay employment between urban and rural areas in the UK. Using the British Household Panel Survey, we estimate the probability that a period of low pay employment will end allowing for a number of possible outcomes, namely to a ‘high pay’ job, self-employment, unemployment and out of the labour force. The results show that there are statistically significant differences in the dynamics of low pay across urban and rural labour markets, particularly in terms of exits to high pay and out of the labour force. After controlling for different personal and job characteristics across markets, urban low pay durations are somewhat shorter on average, with a higher probability that urban workers will move to high pay. However, the results suggest that any urban-rural differences in the typical low pay experience are particularly concentrated among certain types of individuals, e.g. young workers, women without qualifications.Preprin

New quasars behind the Magellanic Clouds. Spectroscopic confirmation of near-infrared selected candidates

Context. Quasi-stellar objects (quasars) located behind nearby galaxies provide an excellent absolute reference system for astrometric studies, but they are difficult to identify because of fore- and background contamination. Deep wide-field, high angular resolution surveys spanning the entire area of nearby galaxies are needed to obtain a complete census of such quasars. Aims. We embarked on a program to expand the quasar reference system behind the Large and the Small Magellanic Clouds, the Magellanic Bridge, and the Magellanic Stream that connects the Clouds with the Milky Way. Methods. Hundreds of quasar candidates were selected based on their near-infrared colors and variability properties from the ongoing public ESO VISTA Magellanic Clouds survey. A subset of 49 objects was followed up with optical spectroscopy. Results. We confirmed the quasar nature of 37 objects (34 new identifications): four are low redshift objects, three are probably stars, and the remaining three lack prominent spectral features for a secure classification. The bona fide quasars, identified from their broad emisison lines, are located as follows: 10 behind the LMC, 13 behind the SMC, and 14 behind the Bridge. The quasars span a redshift range from z ~ 0.5 to z ~ 4.1. Conclusions. Upon completion the VMC survey is expected to yield a total of ~1500 quasars with Y< 19.32 mag, J< 19.09 mag, and Ks< 18.04 mag

Are NBA fans becoming indifferent to race? Evidence from the 1990s

Previous studies, using data from the 1980s, found that racial composition of NBA teams is positively correlated with racial composition of the metropolitan markets in which the teams are located. Researchers have interpreted this evidence as consistent with a customer discrimination hypothesis. We reconsider this hypothesis by examining evidence from the 1990s and generate three principal findings. First, based on player performance statistics, we find no evidence of discrimination at the league level - that is, the best players appear to be playing in the league regardless of race. Second, players, categorized by race, are not randomly distributed across teams. Instead, the relationship between team racial composition and metropolitan area racial composition, while weaker than in the 1980s, persists in the NBA in the 1990s. Hence, teams located in areas with greater concentration of white population may find it revenue enhancing to cater to customer demand for viewing teams that include white players. Our third finding, based on revenue from home game attendance, is that as the number of white players declined significantly over the decade, the revenue product of a white player increased on the margin. This effect appears to be more pronounced for teams located in cities with larger white populations. We also find evidence that, in recent years, the top-performing white players in the NBA tend to locate in cities with larger white populations, suggesting that teams in these cities place a higher marginal value on such players

Towards a fundamental astrometric reference system behind the Malleganic clouds : spectroscopic confirmation of new quasar candidates selected in the near-infrared

Quasi-stellar objects (quasars) located behind nearby galaxies provide an excellent absolute reference system for astrometric studies, but they are difficult to identify because of fore- and background contamination. We have embarked on a programme to expand the quasar reference system behind the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the Magellanic Bridge and Magellanic Stream. Hundreds of quasar candidates were selected, based on their near-infrared colours and variability properties from the ESO VISTA Magellanic Clouds (VMC) Public Survey. A subset of 49 objects was followed up with optical spectroscopy with FORS2. We confirmed the quasar nature of 37 objects (34 new identifications) that span a redshift range from z ~ 0.5 to 4.1

Circulating interest-bearing currency: an Arkansas experiment, 1861 - 1863

During the Civil War the Arkansas legislature funded their expenditures primarily through interest-bearing warrants and war bonds. After these issues were made legal tender in November 1861, the discount attributed to them disappeared immediately and they began to circulate widely. By mid- 1862 they appeared to be preferred to Confederate notes - which were also made legal tender in November 1861 but required military intervention to support their acceptance. The widespread circulation and potential dominance of legal tender interest-bearing currency is consistent with legal restrictions theory. Confederate notes supplanted the Arkansas issues only after the legislature suspended interest payments in November 1862

The Secure Program: Safety Enhanced Communities Utilizing Resident Endeavors - Final Report

This report describes a collaborative project between the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and the Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL) at Loyola University Chicago. The project, entitled Safety Enhanced Communities Utilizing Resident Endeavors (SECURE), is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of physical security improvements in affordable housing developments. The project began in August of 1997 and was completed in December of 1998. The focus of the SECURE program was to address the growing security needs and concerns among residents who live in transitional neighborhoods with relatively high crime rates. The SECURE project studied four affordable housing developments in the Chicago area. The housing developments that participated in the program were The Pines of Edgewater, Northpoint, Diversey Square, and Park Apartments. IHDA selected the participating developments based on location, ability to implement the program, neighborhood characteristics, and management capacity. The four developments are geographically dispersed throughout Chicago and each is situated in a unique neighborhood setting. Each development submitted a proposal describing the security concerns at the property and how they planned to address these problems. In addition, the developments were to create a local partnership including the active participation of residents, the integration of local community policing strategies (CAPS), and the collaboration with an existing neighborhood organization to promote safety. In return, IHDA provided funding for physical security improvements at each of the four participating developments. The security upgrades included hardware, such as lighting, fencing, metal doors, and monitoring equipment. The total grant amounts to $435,000, serving a total of 885 units. CURL’s responsibility was to conduct a comprehensive research evaluation of the SECURE program. The evaluation determined the impact of the security improvements in creating a safer environment and reducing residents’ fear of crime

PETITION FOR RECONSIDERATION OF INVESTIGATION ORDER1

In addition, all materials in connection with this Petition for Reconsideration should also be provided to MID's counsel at the following address

Evaluating the impact of career management skills module and internship programme within a university business school

This study evaluates the impact of an intervention on business school graduates’ employability comprising of a curriculum-based career management skills (CMS) module and an industrial placement year. The study uses data from the destinations of leavers of higher education survey to examine the employability of different groups within the cohort (no intervention, CMS module only and CMS module plus structured work experience). It finds that structured work experience has clear, positive effects on the ability of graduates to secure employment in ‘graduate level’ jobs within six months of graduation. Furthermore, participation in the CMS module also has a clear, positive effect upon the ability of participants to secure employment