Behavioral Economics and Workforce Development: A Review of the Literature from Labor Economics and the Broader Field

Literature Reviewhere is mutual benefit for employers and workers when workers improve their skills beyond the minimum requirements for their position—a fact not lost on employers, many of who are willing to provide education and training opportunities to staff, including frontline workers. These opportunities typically include on-the-job-training, tuition reimbursement for postsecondary courses, and paid leave to attend classes. Despite often generous budgets for these activities, relatively few workers take advantage of these opportunities, potentially limiting increases in productivity, wages and longer-term career advancement (Tompson, Benz, Agiesta, & Junius, 2013). This dilemma raises an interesting research question: Can emerging lessons from behavioral science experiments be applied to cutting the Gordian Knot of worker participation in education and training programs? This review of current literature on the topic is intended to explore the strengths and limitations of applying tools of behavioral sciences to increase the participation and completion rate of training for lower-wage, frontline incumbent workers in ways that benefit both workers and sponsoring firms.The Hitachi FoundationRay Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resource

Initial Organizational Images and Recruitment: A Within-Subjects Investigation of the Factors Affecting Job Choices

[Excerpt] The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensions, influenceability, and consequences of applicants’ images of prospective employers early in the recruitment and job search process. Specifically, we examined three questions: (1) On what dimensions do applicants assess organizational images early in their job searches? (2) Which recruitment practices contribute to applicants’ organizational images? (3) How do organizational images influence applicants’ decisions to apply to organizations

Recruitment and Decision-Making: The Effects of Early Recruitment Practices on the Decision to Apply to an Organization

This study explored the relationship between early recruitment practices (company visibility, social networking, campus presence and traditional practices) and decision making during the initial phase of the recruitment process. Results indicated that the relationship between early recruitment practices and decisions to apply were mediated by attraction and perceptions of organizational attributes

Making Work Pay II: Comprehensive Health Insurance for Low-Income Working Families

Assesses the lack of health insurance and poor health among low-income families, and outlines a strategy to address their healthcare needs by expanding coverage through state-based purchasing pools, subsidies, an individual mandate, and cost containment

Marine Turtle Conservation on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua

The purpose of this initial phase was to expand our previous work on marine turtles on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. This was done through the establishment of a collaborative program with the Miskitu Indians to reduce the uncontrolled take of marine turtles in this region. We initiated activities for a multi-year program that will include research, training, and educational activities involving three Miskitu Indian Communities located in the Indigenous Communities and Miskito Cays Biosphere Reserve (ICMCBR). (5 page document

Saliency of Category Information in Person Perception for Ingroup and Outgroup Members

The saliency of category information in person perception for ingroup and outgroup members was investigated. European American participants were presented with a fictional character that varied in race (African American or European American) and occupational garb (military, judge, doctor, or athlete). Occupations were chosen to be either stereotypical or nonstereotypical for African Americans and European Americans with the aid of the Statistical Abstract of the United States (1992) percentages. Based on prior research findings (Park & Rothbart, 1982; Mackie & Worth, 1989), it was predicted European American participants would spontaneously describe an outgroup character by race (superordinate category information), but would mention occupation (subordinate category information) when spontaneously describing the ingroup character. As predicted, results indicated race was rarely mentioned when describing the ingroup character, but was usually the first label applied for the outgroup character. Moreover, when describing the ingroup character, as compared to the outgroup character, occupation was mentioned earlier. Thus, differential utilization of organizing information about a seemingly mundane stimulus may provide a clue as to the origins of intergroup categorizations and bias

An Examination of Adult Bullying in the K-12 Workplace: Implications for School Leaders

The issue of bullying in K-12 schools usually brings images of students to mind, but a recent quantitative study of a sample from K-12 school personnel in Michigan showed that 27.8% of adults in the K-12 workplace consider themselves the target of an adult bully. This study calls for school leadership to recognize and proactively address the issue of workplace bullying in K-12 schools through policy, procedures, training, prevention, enforcement, and positive resolution to provide a safe, non-threatening environment in which to work and learn

CAPITALIZATION OF FARMLAND PRESERVATION PROGRAMS INTO FARMLAND PRICES

This paper examines whether permanent farmland preservation programs are capitalized into farmland prices. We consider the landowner's decision to voluntarily participate and correct for sample selection bias in our estimation of sales prices. Initial results suggest development restrictions resulting from participation in these programs are fully capitalized into farmland prices.Demand and Price Analysis, Land Economics/Use,