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Erasing Red Lines: Part 2 - Systems Thinking for Social and Community Change
Full text linkWhat, if anything, can be done to push back against persistently uneven geographies of opportunity in Buffalo and other post-industrial, shrinking cities? And why the focus on systems science and its technical jargon? A response to both of these questions is that vicious cycles and ways out of them cannot be fully apprehended without thinking about the systems in which they are produced—and systems thinking is rarely the default toolbox that policymakers and community change organizations employ when defining and attempting to solve a social problem. As such, proposed “solutions” to complex social problems are often one-dimensional and aimed at single symptoms rather than root causes.On that backdrop, the remainder of this brief report describes and applies a tool for systems thinking in community economic development. Notably, the tool comes from the systems science literature, meaning that it is not new. Nor, importantly, is it alone. Numerous tools are available, from a variety of sources, to bring systems thinking to bear on conversations and policy discourses related to social and community change.14 Readers are encouraged to engage with as many of these sources and tools as possible to become better systems thinkers. The point of highlighting just one resource here is that the selected tool—the iceberg model of systems thinking—is: (1) simple; (2) easy and effective for beginners to use to identify and think about leverage points in a system; and (3) a useful lens through which to view selected attempts to Erase Red Lines and push back against persistent uneven geographies of opportunity in Buffalo, NY. The next section introduces and unpacks the iceberg model. From there, a miniature, Buffalo-based case study engages with the model for illustrative purposes. Together, the description of the model and the lessons from the case study inform a concluding section that offers optimism for affecting transformational change, and Erasing Red Lines, in disadvantaged communities
Give Them Some Slack - They\u27re Trying to Change! The Benefits of Excess Cash, Excess Employees, and Increased Human Capital in the Context of Strategic Change
Full text link[Excerpt] Human resource strategists perennially struggle with the issue of staffing levels, especially the difficult task of determining the number of people required to meet their units’ business goals. Should they go “lean and mean”, as the saying goes, or is it better to overstaff a bit – to build a little slack in the system? Theory suggests that the answer to this question is “it depends”. Units experiencing periods of stability with little change are advised to opt for the former approach in the interest of enhancing operational efficiency and minimizing labor costs. Those undergoing strategic change, however, would do better to build in some HR slack to allow for the allocation of talent to the exploration and early staffing of new initiatives without detracting from current operations. This notion of contingency has some empirical support with respect to financial slack, but to date there is no comparable research on HR slack. The study reported here fills this gap, while taking the additional step of exploring whether HR slack and financial slack have complementary effects on firm performance (see Figure 1 on page 2). Initially, the study examined whether the role of HR slack differed in firms that were and were not undergoing strategic change. Second, the analysis focused specifically on firms undergoing strategic transitions and explored two questions: (1) To what extent did the existence of financial slack affect the relationship between HR slack and firm performance? And (2) to what extent did it matter whether or not firms chose to allocate a significant portion of their financial slack to developing their human capital? To help answer these questions, the study relied on data provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC) pertaining to 6,606 commercial banks covering a 12-year period between 2002 and 2014
The Fundamentals of Unemployment Compensation
Full text link[Excerpt] The joint federal-state Unemployment Compensation (UC) program provides income support through UC benefit payments. Although there are broad requirements under federal law regarding UC benefits and financing, the specifics are set out under each state’s laws. States administer UC benefits with U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) oversight, resulting in 53 different UC programs operated in the states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Total UC expenditures include benefits and administrative costs. During economic expansions, states fund approximately 85%-90% of all UC expenditures—as almost all of the benefits are state-financed by state unemployment taxes. In comparison, federal expenditures are relatively small during these expansions (approximately 10%-15%) in which federal expenditures are primarily administrative grants to the states financed by federal unemployment taxes
Paid Family Leave in the United States
Full text link[Excerpt] This report provides an overview of paid family leave in the United States, summarizes state-level family leave insurance programs, notes PFL policies in other advanced-economy countries, and notes recent federal legislative action to increase access to paid family leave
A Philosophical Basis for Judicial Restraint
Full text linkThe purpose of this article is to establish a principled basis for restraint of judicial lawmaking. The principle is that all findings of fact, whether of legislative or adjudicative facts, must be based on evidence in the record of a case. This principle is grounded in moral philosophy. I will begin with a discussion of the relevant aspect of moral philosophy, then state and defend the principle, and finally apply it to a line of cases
Workplace Violence Prevention
Full text link[Excerpt] How well is your workplace addressing violence prevention?* Let’s start with your workplace’s definition: “workplace violence” brings to mind fights, physical or sexual attacks, murder, property damage, or arson; and certainly acts of terrorism. Does your policy include the unauthorized possession of firearms, explosives, or other weapons at work? Does your program’s policy cover verbal as well as physical issues? OSHA and NIOSH have recommended including verbal harassment and threats -- face-to-face, in writing, or electronically – as these are not only problems in themselves, but also could escalate to other forms of violence
SBA Veterans Assistance Programs: An Analysis of Contemporary Issues
Full text link[Excerpt] This report opens with an examination of the economic circumstances of veteran-owned businesses drawn from the Bureau of the Census’s 2012 Survey of Business Owners (SBO). It then provides a brief overview of veterans’ employment experiences, comparing unemployment and labor force participation rates for veterans, veterans who have left the military since September 2001, and nonveterans. The report also describes employment assistance programs offered by several federal agencies to assist veterans in their transition from the military to the civilian labor force and examines, in greater detail, the SBA’s veteran business development programs, the SBA’s efforts to assist veterans’ access to capital, and the SBA’s veteran contracting programs. It also discusses the SBA’s Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and P.L. 114-38, the Veterans Entrepreneurship Act of 2015, which authorized and made permanent the SBA’s recent practice of waiving the SBAExpress loan program’s one time, up-front loan guarantee fee for veterans (and their spouse)
Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 116th Congress
Full text linkThe unemployment insurance (UI) system has two primary objectives: (1) to provide temporary, partial wage replacement for involuntarily unemployed workers and (2) to stabilize the economy during recessions. In support of these goals, several UI programs provide benefits for eligible unemployed worker
Labor Takes the High Road: How Unions Make Western New York More Prosperous and Equitable
Full text linkThe report explores how unions make a major impact on the region not just through collective bargaining, but also through community service and policy advocacy. Analyzing Census data, the authors find that union members in Western New York enjoy substantially higher wages, more full-time work, more health insurance coverage, and more pension benefits than non-members.
Union impacts radiate out far beyond their members. Research reveals that unions improve wages, job quality, health, and safety, for other workers as well. Unions support community efforts with volunteer hours and donations, and they play a critical role in workforce development and training. Finally, organized labor advocates for high road public policies regarding issues such as civil rights, public health, and responsible economic development