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Unemployment Insurance Policies and Employment
No full textThis dissertation consists of three essays concerning the way in which the unemployment insurance (UI) system in the United States affects the dynamics of labor markets, through the financing and the provision of unemployment benefits. The first chapter provides background on the financing of the UI system. In the U.S. unemployment benefits are financed with employer payroll taxes using experience rating methods, which consist of assigning a tax rate based on the firm's history of unemployed workers who collected unemployment benefits. This creates a cost to the firm when changing employment downward: the expected UI marginal tax cost (EMTC). However, these methods are imperfect in that not every additional separation increases UI taxes (there are minimum and maximum tax rates). I implement a novel empirical measure of the EMTC assuming firms have rational expectations. I find that, on average, firms expect to pay about 56\% of the additional unemployment benefit, with the remaining subsidized. This subsidy has potential implications for the dynamics of labor markets, which I explore in subsequent chapters. The second chapter studies the effect of increasing unemployment benefits on employment under an imperfect experience rating UI system. An endogeneity problem arises because both subsidized and total unemployment benefits respond endogenously to employment shocks. Thus, I construct instruments to overcome endogeneity by interacting systematic differences across states with aggregate shocks. I find that subsidized unemployment benefits reduced employment during the Great Recession. Also, using job flows data, I show that subsidized unemployment benefits have a positive effect on job separations, consistent with the negative effect on employment, while having little effect on job creations. The last chapter studies the effect of unemployment subsidies on the composition of unemployment by UI claims. I show that unemployment subsidies increase the incidence of insured unemployment, but reduce that of uninsured unemployment. While the first result is predicted by the existing theory, the second is not. I rationalize this result by proposing a relabeling hypothesis: firms profitably split the non-negative subsidy with workers by relabeling the job separation as UI eligible. The relabeling hypothesis suggests that if the UI subsidy is high, workers receiving benefits should better resemble the characteristics of workers separating via quits. I in fact see evidence of this hypothesis in terms of the impact of the UI subsidy on unemployment duration, recall rate, and wage growth of separated workers
Working with Sexual Offenders: A Didactic for Graduate Students
No full textThere are many myths, unknowns, and negative reactions about working with sexual offenders and while the work can be challenging it is a multifaceted and rewarding opportunity. For those reasons, my dissertation included creating a didactic aimed towards clinical psychology graduate students to provide important information about working with sexual offenders that would be useful to consider as a practicum training, eventual career path option, as well as overall awareness. The didactic was created based on the available literature to help increase awareness and knowledge when working with clients that have been convicted of a sex offense, specifically relevant legal definitions, risk factors, ethical considerations, clinician stress (compassion fatigue and burnout,) countertransference, emotional challenges and coping strategies, the role of the therapist’s age and gender, and the positive and rewarding aspects of working with this population. The goal of this didactic is to provide information to graduate students to assist them in making an informed decision about considering working, or not working, with sexual offenders. Feedback from a small number of mental health providers experienced with this population as well as clinical psychology graduate students was gathered via a survey and considered toward the final version of the didactic. Results are discussed in detail followed by clinical implications and recommendations for future research
Crop Response to Low-Dose Dicamba
No full textThe introduction of dicamba-resistant (DR) soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) followed by a label allowing over-the-top applications of dicamba in the 2017 provided growers an additional option for broadleaf weed control. Because non-DR soybean is sensitive to low concentrations of dicamba, postemergence dicamba applications present growers choosing to plant non-DR soybean with concerns of damage from off-target movement through physical drift and volatilization of the herbicide as well as tank-contamination from prior dicamba application. Consequences of low-dose dicamba exposure on sensitive vegetative and reproductive soybean have been well researched, but little is known regarding the interaction between low-dose dicamba exposure and commonly applied contact herbicides. There is also limited research assessing repercussions caused by dicamba exposure during reproductive development in corn (Zea mays L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.), two common cereal crops in Arkansas in proximity to soybean and cotton. Experiments included evaluating the potential for dicamba to elicit a hormetic response to sensitive soybean, determining if contact herbicides exacerbated off-target dicamba symptomology, and evaluating potential for low-dose dicamba exposure on reproductive corn and rice to reduce grain yield. Low doses of dicamba did not improve soybean grain yield, which indicates a hormetic response is unlikely. Contact herbicides such as glufosinate and acifluorfen applied in close proximity to a low dose of dicamba increased visible auxin symptomology to soybean at 21 and 28 days after treatment (DAT) compared to dicamba alone, but no effect on grain yield occurred. Soybean was injured more when dicamba exposure followed a glufosinate application than when dicamba preceded glufosinate or was applied in a mixture with glufosinate, with yield reductions resulting when the contact herbicide was applied 7 to 10 days after a V3 dicamba exposure. Visible injury to corn from dicamba was negligible (0%), but rice treated with dicamba at 56 and 560 g ae ha-1 demonstrated auxin symptomology which led to reductions in grain yield. Corn grain yield could only be reduced from dicamba at 560 g ae ha-1. In conclusion, dicamba tank-contamination and possibly off-target movement pose a greater threat to sensitive soybean regarding visible symptomology and yield as opposed to corn and rice, and it is unlikely that soybean exposure to low-dose dicamba will improve grain yields
Vicious or Virtuous: Exploring Whether Cognitive and Emotional Capabilities Predict a Manager’s Reaction to Organizational Paradox
No full textThis study explored the cognitive and emotional factors that contribute to how managers in high-hazard organizations respond to paradox. To achieve this, the study sought to test Smith and Lewis’s (2011) Proposition 2a: “Actors with cognitive and behavioral complexity and emotional equanimity are more likely to accept paradoxical tensions rather than respond defensively” (p. 392). Established measures of these psychological constructs were used to create a research design to assess the ability of cognitive complexity, emotional management, and their interaction to predict defensiveness to paradox. Targeting managers in high-hazard organizations—with the assumption that they would be likely to encounter organizational paradox and that their response to it would be consequential to health, safety, and environmental concerns—143 individuals were recruited and 40 complete data sets were obtained. Data analysis involved data visualization, correlation and regression analyses. No statistically significant result was detected due to lack of power in the sample size. However, scatterplot analysis suggested promising areas for future research, including the ability for emotional management to predict defensiveness to paradox and the strength of the interaction between cognitive complexity and emotional intelligence with respect to predicting defensiveness to paradox
Safety Climate and the Use of Personal Protective Equipment by Petroleum Refinery Workers
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact of peer and supervisor influences of task risks associated with refinery workers’ use of PPE while working in an industrial environment. The study focused on the safety climate model to discover the perceived value workers placed on safety and Fishbein and Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior’s roadmap for understanding their use of PPE. Methodology: This study used phenomenological qualitative methodology to collect responses from 16 petroleum refinery contractor workers from Los Angeles, California, regarding the influences peers, supervisors, and task risk have on their use of PPE. Respondents were selected through purposeful sampling. Semistructured interviews were conducted using an interview protocol based on Zohar’s safety climate model to capture their lived experiences. Findings: Six major findings emerged from the data collection and analysis. Supervisors positively influenced refinery contractor workers’ use of PPE when they were present at the worksite and demonstrated concern for their safety. Peers support each other’s use of PPE by providing reminders when it is not used or exercising stop work authority for serious infractions of safety rules. Refinery task risk procedures such as Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) positively influenced refinery contractor workers’ use of PPE because of the potential for serious injury or disciplinary action for not using it. Conclusions: The conclusions indicated that task risk to workers is decreased when supervisors provide direction at worksites and train their personnel on PPE use. Contractor workers, as a result of their shared hazardous workplace, expect that their peers will use PPE and will exercise stop work authority if they do not follow safety rules. Furthermore, refinery zero tolerance policies for violating safety rules improve worker commitment to use PPE. Recommendations: Recommendations include the use of virtual tools to promote direct supervisor interaction when conducting JHA’s or safety meetings. It is also recommended that refineries and contractor companies develop training programs for supervisors to function as safety coaches along with recognition programs for workers to nominate their peers for positively influencing their use of PPE
Online Teaching Self-Efficacy and Faculty ICT and Computer Attitudes in Higher Education
No full textThe digital age is reshaping learning and instruction and encouraging educational technology advances within higher education institutions. However, online faculty are not integrating technology into their classes despite the technology related professional development they receive. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if a relationship exists between online teaching self-efficacy and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and computer attitudes and faculty participation in technology professional development activities, gender, and age within the context of institutions of higher education. Alfred Bandura’s social learning theory and Roger’s diffusion of innovations theory framed the study. Using Qualtrics, survey data were collected from 42 faculty who had taught, co-taught, or developed an online course. The data were then analyzed using multiple linear regression via SPSS for two research questions. The findings showed no statistically significant relationship between technology professional development, online teaching self-efficacy, and ICT and computer attitudes. These non-significant findings indicate that factors other than those investigated in this study appear to have impeded faculty integration of technology in their classrooms. A qualitative investigation is recommended for further study to reveal these factors. Since this study indicates that neither gender nor age affects faculty online teaching self-efficacy, the implications for positive social change are that all faculty, regardless of their gender or age, can integrate technology in the classroom, thereby impacting student success
Strategy in Small Information Technology Firms
No full textSmall firm failure rates are consistently 10 times higher than the failure rates for larger businesses, which prevents small businesses from reaching their full potential as the world's primary economic engine for productivity and job growth. Enhanced performance, which can help small businesses overcome the odds against survival, has been linked to the application of strategy by business leaders. Establishing and maintaining an intentional link between the strategic thinking of senior leaders and the development of innovative products and services may result in a greater awareness of the competitive environment and improve firm performance. This study engaged the following question as a way to explore this premise: How do sole proprietors, managing partners, and other senior leaders of mature small information technology service firms in the U.S. federal sector describe change? An open-ended qualitative study was conducted with nine senior leaders in this business sector. The findings of the study included five themes and six subthemes that provided qualified support for the premise that strategic thinking improves business performance. Support for the premise was qualified because the process for strategy development is informal, applied primarily to business development, bound by a short time frame, and triggered by reactive adaptation as opposed to proactive action. Future research into whether a more formal approach to strategy would improve performance is suggested
Making Sense of Her Journey: Exploring African American Female Executives' Leadership Experiences Within Nonprofit Organizations
No full textMaking Sense of Her Journey: Exploring African American Female Executives’ Leadership Experiences within Nonprofit Organizations African American females have a desire to lead and some have even reached the executive leadership table. However, as there remains a significant absence of African American female executives at the nonprofit leadership table, by investing in this group of resilient and determined women, nonprofit organizations are better positioned to meet the critical needs of their communities, encourage diversity in decision-making and strategically tap into the leadership experiences of a group of women who are often being served by this industry. This study explored how African American female executives made sense of their leadership experiences within the nonprofit industry in the United States. Through exploring the lived experiences as narratives shared by African American female executives within the nonprofit industry, this study offered insight into the complexities of their levels of oppression and discrimination and how these uniquely positioned women made sense of their leadership journeys within their organizational settings. Specifically, this study sought to make a valuable contribution to Black Feminist Thought/Theory (BFT) in the nonprofit industry in particular, as a majority of the literature has been focused on academic settings. The research sample included nine (9) African American females who are or were executive directors of a nonprofit organization based in the United States. The time period studied was bound by the years (1990 to 2020) to ensure the foundational research related to Black Feminist Thought/Theory (BFT) and current research were captured. This study utilized qualitative research methods through narrative inquiry analysis. Data have been collected from participant interviews, as transcribed from digital recordings. This study was based on four key assumptions; 1) Sensemaking as a process was central to the participants’ unique lived experiences, 2) Oppression was a constant, ever-present and institutionalized obstacle under which the participants lived into their executive leadership experiences, 3) African American females often had interconnected experiences of multiple identities in society, and 4) African American sisterhood was an intentional relationship the women built or sought out to provide a supportive space as African American female executives within the nonprofit industry. This study showed how ultimately, who the women were could not be confined to only one identity, as their realities consistently supported them living out their experiences through the intersection of their multiple systems of oppressions connected to the interwoven nature of their race, gender, and for some class
A Comparison of Performance for 3rd Through 8th Grade Students on the 2014 NJ ASK and 2015 End-Of-Year PARCC Assessments
No full textState-mandated standardized testing comprises a significant component of student outcome measures utilized by the state and federal government to assess school district performance. Failure to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on standardized assessments can result in negative consequences for districts both systemically and financially. The current study analyzes the transition from the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) for the 2014-2015 school year. Among the differences between the two assessments is a change in modality, with students completing their PARCC English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics assessments via computer rather than the traditional paper-pencil administration on the NJ ASK. Outcome data for students from Vernon, New Jersey indicate that students performed significantly better on the NJ ASK than the PARCC for both ELA and Mathematics both in terms of score and proficiency level for the overall sample as well as a subset of students with disabilities. Familiarity with computer-based assessment from a cohort of students provided individual laptops for the duration of the school year did not improve student performance
Ethnic Identity Salience, Socioeconomic Status, and Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Treatment as Predictors of Receptivity to Community-Based Psychoeducation among African American Men
No full textProblem: Distrust and socioeconomic barriers are widely recognized as contributors to disparities in the healthcare system, particularly as it relates to mental health care (Lindinger-Sternart, 2015; National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.). African Americans continually experience societal pressures to disassociate with African American culture and to assimilate into mainstream culture. Perhaps accessing mental health services via a counselor is an extension of that pressure. In this way, the traditional counseling model for mental health intervention is a culturally counterintuitive approach for developing mental health among African American men. Men are a subset of the African American community that tends to engage in mental health treatment at a significantly lower rate than the general population. Conversely, research suggests that their distress is as significant if not more so than that of majority groups (Mental Health America, n.d.; Roberson & Fitzgerald, 1992; Snowden, 2012). Research shows that cultural and systematic factors drive the underuse of mental health services among African American men (particularly counseling). Community-based psychoeducation spread by community members may be a means of making mental health information more accessible to this population in culturally congruent and enfranchised ways. Method: A quantitative, non-experimental survey design was employed to examine the relationship between 1) ethnic identity salience, 2) socioeconomic status (the exogenous variables), and 3) attitudes toward seeking mental health treatment (both endogenous and exogenous) as predictors of receptivity toward community-based psychoeducation (the dependent/endogenous variable) among African American men. ANOVA and Structural Equation Modeling were employed to consider the relationship between variables and the latent construct. Convenience sampling was used to recruit a nationally representative sample of 461 African American men from across the country through the employment of Qualtrics data collection servicer. Following data collection, data were screened and analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software programs to ensure valid interpretation. Results: The results indicated that African American men are most receptive to discussing/receiving mental health information with counselors, friends, and family, and in the corresponding settings (in counseling, social settings, or at home, respectively). Receptivity in those settings had no significant difference, which conveys comparable openness to discussing/receiving mental health information (i.e., psychoeducation). Such findings are indicative of community-based psychoeducation as an alternative to counseling. Overall, respondents were somewhat receptive to a variety of identified settings/individuals; however, barbershops/barbers were the least preferred option for discussing/receiving mental health information. Further, the original structural equation model poorly fit the collected data, so it was adjusted as informed by theory and supported by the literature. The final, good-fitting model explained only 18% of the variance in the dependent variable though it yielded unique insight into the relationship of the variables. Ethnic Identity Salience and Socioeconomic Status were meaningful predictors of Receptivity to Community-based Psychoeducation. Help-seeking Propensity was the only assessed Attitude toward Seeking Mental Health Treatment that was meaningful in the empirical model. Conclusions: The findings support the existing research that African American men are receptive to community-based psychoeducation when administered through the appropriate channels. Given issues with feasibility and access, community-based psychoeducation dispersed through families and friends at home and in social settings may be preferable to counseling as a means of increasing mental health literacy among the general U.S. population of African American men. Future studies should strive to conceptualize mental health intervention in culturally congruent ways, develop community-based intervention modalities, and study African Americans in novel exploratory ways to generate practical mental health advancement. They should also consider how the changing zeitgeist, individual attitudes, and meaningful personal relationships impact the discussion of mental health and utilization of services among African American men