Global Employment Trends for Women 2004

[Excerpt] More women work today than ever before. In 2003, 1.1 billion of the world\u27s 2.8 billion workers, or 40 per cent, were women, representing a worldwide increase of nearly 200 million women in employment in the past 10 years. However, women still face higher unemployment rates, receive lower wages than men and represent 60 per cent of the world\u27s 550 million working poor. By analysing 7 labour market indicators, the Global Employment Trends for Women 2004 finds that the explosive growth in the female workforce has not been accompanied by true socio-economic empowerment for women, nor has it led to equal pay for equal work or balanced other benefits making women equal to men across nearly all occupations. In short, true equality in the world of work is still out of reach

Statistics, Not Experts

The legal system should rely much more than it now does on statistical evidence. It should be cautious about the judgments of experts, who make predictable cognitive errors. Like everyone else, experts have a tendency to blunder about risk, a point that has been shown to hold for doctors, whose predictions significantly err in the direction of optimism. We present new evidence that individual doctors\u27 judgments about the ordinary standard of care are incorrect and excessively optimistic. We also show how this evidence bears on legal determinations of negligence, by doctors and others

The Impact of Gender on Negotiation Performance

Individuals occasionally assume that women cannot negotiate as effectively as men, and when persons in positions of authority have such thoughts, it may induce them to discriminate against women when making employment decisions. In this article we explore the way in which men and women interact with others and the possible impact of behaviorial differences on negotiation performance. I describe how my Legal Negotiation course is taught, and compare the results achieved by men and women on the negotiation exercises assigned in my course. Over the past sixteen years, I have not had a single year in which there has been a statistically significant difference with respect to the average results or standard deviations pertaining to the male and female students

Using Environmental Benefit-Cost Analysis to Improve Government Performance

In this paper we first describe the legal and administrative basis of mandates that variously require and eschew economic measures for environmental management. We then summarize the steps involved in benefit-cost analysis and what can and cannot be accomplished with such information. Our basic conclusion is that while the approach is not perfect, benefit-cost analysis has a solid methodological footing and provides a valuable performance measure for an important governmental function, improving the well-being of society. However, benefit-cost analysis requires analytical judgements which, if done poorly, can obfuscate an issue or worse, provide a refuge for scoundrels in the policy debate. We conclude the paper with specific suggestions for both the everyday performance of benefit-cost analysis and its use in policy decision-making.

The Impact of Gender on Negotiation Performance

Individuals occasionally assume that women cannot negotiate as effectively as men, and when persons in positions of authority have such thoughts, it may induce them to discriminate against women when making employment decisions. In this article we explore the way in which men and women interact with others and the possible impact of behaviorial differences on negotiation performance. I describe how my Legal Negotiation course is taught, and compare the results achieved by men and women on the negotiation exercises assigned in my course. Over the past sixteen years, I have not had a single year in which there has been a statistically significant difference with respect to the average results or standard deviations pertaining to the male and female students

The Shadow of Professor Kingsfield: Contemporary Dilemmas Facing Women Law Professors

This essay discusses the predicament of women law professors in an era when the representation of women on law faculties has reached a “critical mass.” It explores three mechanisms for reproducing gender inequality: (1) self-fulfilling stereotypes, (2) gender-specific comparison groups, and (3) the accumulation of small disadvantages. Chamallas uses stories from her own and colleagues’ experiences to illustrate contemporary forms of bias

Insurers, Illusions of Judgment & Litigation

Insurers play a critical role in the civil justice system. By providing liability insurance to parties who would otherwise be untenable as defendants, insurers make litigation possible. Once litigation materializes, insurers provide representation, pay legal fees, and often play a central role in resolving disputes through settlement or adjudication. In this paper, we explore empirically how these key litigation players make important decisions in the litigation process, like evaluating a case, deciding whether to settle, and if so, on what terms. We find that insurers that have been shown to distort litigation decision making, appear to make decisions in a more economically rational fashion than other litigation players. This finding, though preliminary, casts new light on litigation theory and practice

Insurers, Illusions of Judgment & Litigation

Insurers play a critical role in the civil justice system. By providing liability insurance to parties who would otherwise be untenable as defendants, insurers make litigation possible. Once litigation materializes, insurers provide representation, pay legal fees, and often play a central role in resolving disputes through settlement or adjudication. In this paper, we explore empirically how these key litigation players make important decisions in the litigation process, like evaluating a case, deciding whether to settle, and if so, on what terms. We find that insurers that have been shown to distort litigation decision making, appear to make decisions in a more economically rational fashion than other litigation players. This finding, though preliminary, casts new light on litigation theory and practice