The Effect of Unions on Productivity in the Public Sector: The Case of Municipal Libraries

[Excerpt] This paper represents our initial efforts at analyzing the effects of unions on productivity in the public sector. We first sketch an analytical framework that can be used to estimate these effects, focusing for expository purposes on municipal public libraries. We initially focus on libraries because considerable effort has been devoted to conceptualizing productivity measures for them and because of the availability of data to implement the framework. After discussing the analytical framework, we present preliminary estimtes of the effects of unions on productivity in public libraries based upon analyses of data from 71 municipal libraries in Massachusetts. We conclude by indicating how these analyses will be extended and the direction that we hope our future research will take

The Effect of Unions on Productivity in the Public Sector: The Case of Libraries

This paper presents an analytical framework that can be used to analyze the effects of unions on productivity in the public sector. Our initial focus is on public libraries because considerable effort has been devoted to conceptualizing library productivity measures and because of the availability of data to implement the framework. Preliminary estimates are presented based upon data from 71 municipal libraries in Massachusetts. We conclude by indicating the direction that our future research on the subject will take.

Public Sector Labor Markets

This paper provides a critical survey of the literature dealing with public sector labor markets. It discusses the research by economists on wage determination in the state and local sector (including the effects of. unions), on the estimation of compensating wage differentials for pecuniary and nonpecuniary job characteristics, on the effects of unions on productivity, on the estimation of public sector demand and for labor functions, on dispute resolution, on public/private pay differentials, and on gender and race discrimination in the public sector. Numerous suggestions for future research are offered

Laboratory Evaluation of Black Carbon Deposition onto Snow and Transport via Snowmelt

Black carbon (BC) is an aerosol material produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. BC has been shown to be the second most important anthropogenic climate warming agent after carbon dioxide due to its ability to absorb solar radiation, influence cloud behavior, and accelerate snow melt. BC in otherwise clean snow can significantly reduce its reflectivity. In order to learn about the significance of BC contamination in snow, we explored the deposition of BC onto snow and the transport of BC in snow during snowmelt. A Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2), was used to measure the concentration and size distribution of BC in an airstream drawn through snow to determine the rate at which the snow trapped BC. BC concentration in meltwater was measured to determine if the BC was left in the snow or was removed during melting. SP2 testing showed a significant drop in BC aerosol concentration after contact with the snow. This implies that naturally occurring snow is a highly efficient absorber of BC from the atmosphere. Meltwater samples had a lower BC concentration than the snow, suggesting that the majority of the BC is left behind in snow during partial melting. This accumulation of BC could potentially cause a positive feedback to the rate of snowmelt. Better understanding the behavior of BC in snow will help scientists describe the impact of BC on climate and help policymakers predict the benefits of reducing BC emissions

Negotiation, Email, and Internet Reverse Auctions: How Sourcing Mechanisms Deployed by Buyers Affect Suppliers’ Trust

The Internet has made a wealth of new tools available to the industrial buyer. However, researchers have suggested that computer mediated interaction with suppliers may not be conducive to strong supplier relationships in general and to trust in particular. This paper compares two computer-mediated sourcing tools (email negotiation and Internet reverse auctions) with face-to-face negotiation. Information richness theory suggests that the different media will produce different impacts relating to sellers’ trust in buyers. Data are generated with a simulation experiment using 117 subjects. We found that information richness affects seller-buyer trust: Sellers who used face-to-face negotiation, the richest medium in the study, always reported higher trust in their buyer counterparts than did sellers using Internet reverse auctions. There were also some trust advantages of face-to-face negotiation over email and limited advantages of email over reverse auctions. We also found that procurement complexity influences the relationship between information richness and trust. As hypothesized, when face-to-face negotiation is used, procurement complexity has no effect on seller trust. When reverse auctions are utilized, the greater the complexity of the purchase, the less the seller trust. However, when email is used, greater procurement complexity is associated with greater seller trust, and there are no differences in trust between the email and face-to-face channels. Finally, we found that sellers’ trust in buyers is positively associated with sellers’ desire for future dealings with the buyer

From Few to Many: Using Copulas and Monte Carlo Simulation to Estimate Safety Consequences

With the introduction of more advanced vehicle technology, it is paramount to assess its safety benefit. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can reduce crashes and mitigate crash severity, if designed appropriately. Driver behavior models are integral to the ADAS design process, complementing time and resource intensive human participant experiments. We introduce a method to model driver responses to forward collision events by quantifying multivariate behavior with copulas and Monte Carlo simulation. This approach capitalizes on the data from small samples of crash events observed in naturalistic or simulator studies. Copulas summarize data by capturing the underlying joint distribution of variables, and Monte Carlo methods can be used to repeatedly sample from these distributions. A driver model can be parameterized with these samples, and run on a desktop driving simulation environment

Duality for Legendrian contact homology

The main result of this paper is that, off of a `fundamental class' in degree 1, the linearized Legendrian contact homology obeys a version of Poincare duality between homology groups in degrees k and -k. Not only does the result itself simplify calculations, but its proof also establishes a framework for analyzing cohomology operations on the linearized Legendrian contact homology.Comment: This is the version published by Geometry & Topology on 8 December 200

Unions and Productivity in the Public Sector: A Study of Municipal Libraries

This paper develops and illustrates the use of two methodologies to analyze the effect of unions on productivity in the public sector. Although the methodologies are applicable to a wide variety of public sector functions, the focus of the paper is on municipal libraries because of the availability of relevant data. The empirical analysis, which uses 1977 cross-section data on 260 libraries, suggests that collective bargaining coverage has not significantly affected productivity in municipal libraries

VP24-Karyopherin alpha binding affinities differ between Ebolavirus species, nfluencing interferon inhibition and VP24 stability

Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV), Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV), and Reston ebolavirus (RESTV) belong to the same genus but exhibit different virulence properties. VP24 protein, a structural protein present in all family members, blocks interferon (IFN) signaling and likely contributes to virulence. Inhibition of IFN signaling by EBOV VP24 (eVP24) involves its interaction with the NPI-1 subfamily of karyopherin alpha (KPNA) nuclear transporters. Here, we evaluated eVP24, BDBV VP24 (bVP24), and RESTV VP24 (rVP24) interactions with three NPI-1 subfamily KPNAs (KPNA1, KPNA5, and KPNA6). Using purified proteins, we demonstrated that each VP24 binds to each of the three NPI-1 KPNAs. bVP24, however, exhibited approximately 10-fold-lower KPNA binding affinity than either eVP24 or rVP24. Cell-based assays also indicate that bVP24 exhibits decreased KPNA interaction, decreased suppression of IFN induced gene expression, and a decreased half-life in transfected cells compared to eVP24 or rVP24. Amino acid sequence alignments between bVP24 and eVP24 also identified residues within and surrounding the previously defined eVP24-KPNA5 binding interface that decrease eVP24-KPNA affinity or bVP24-KPNA affinity. VP24 mutations that lead to reduced KPNA binding affinity also decrease IFN inhibition and shorten VP24 half-lives. These data identify novel functional differences in VP24-KPNA interaction and reveal a novel impact of the VP24-KPNA interaction on VP24 stability. IMPORTANCE The interaction of Ebola virus (EBOV) VP24 protein with host karyopherin alpha (KPNA) proteins blocks type I interferon (IFN) signaling, which is a central component of the host innate immune response to viral infection. Here, we quantitatively compared the interactions of VP24 proteins from EBOV and two members of the Ebolavirus genus, Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) and Reston virus (RESTV). The data reveal lower binding affinity of the BDBV VP24 (bVP24) for KPNAs and demonstrate that the interaction with KPNA modulates inhibition of IFN signaling and VP24 stability. The effect of KPNA interaction on VP24 stability is a novel functional consequence of this virus-host interaction, and the differences identified between viral species may contribute to differences in pathogenesis

Important Business Considerations For Successful Entry Into The China Market

This case requires students to practice international management skills as they consider a wide range of important business questions for a medium-size US company looking to enter the Chinese market. Over the course of four separable modules, students determine the best entry strategy for the company, how to finance the project, how to select the best project manager and how to develop an initial marketing plan. Faculty can choose to assign some or all modules. In addition, the authors, who have implemented this case multiple times with American, Chinese, South Korean and Japanese students working together, discuss the cross-cultural lessons they have learned and recommend ways to improve cross-cultural communication. Specific case questions and case resources are provided