Author

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Louis S. Jacobson

President, New Horizons Economic Research

Louis S. Jacobson is the President of New Horizons Economic Research. He has conducted basic research on the cost of job loss and the means to offset those losses through services provided by One-Stop Career Centers and community colleges. Dr. Jacobson recently examined how community colleges and One-Stops can work together to help workers develop career-enhancing skills, and analyzed the returns to community college training using a large Florida data base for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trust, and the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education. He is currently extending this work to examine how workforce system services affect those returns as well as the returns to short-term training provided by for-profit training providers. He also is evaluating a statewide Florida program to increase the college readiness of high school students. While at Westat, Dr. Jacobson was the principal investigator of a six-state evaluation of the effectiveness of public labor exchanges in a One-Stop environment and the long-term follow-up of the National JTPA Evaluation. While at the Upjohn Institute, he authored major studies of the cost of worker dislocation and observed first-hand the effectiveness of government and private activities designed to deal with loss of long-held industrial jobs. Dr. Jacobson served on the Montgomery County (Maryland) Workforce Investment Board, chairing the assessment committee. Dr. Jacobson holds a Ph.D. in economics from Northwestern University and a B.S. in economics from MIT.

Related to Louis S. Jacobson

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Investing in What Works: The Importance of Evidence-Based Policymaking—Introduction & Panel 1: Opportunities for Bringing Evidence to Policymaking

April 18, 2013 • Audio

Founder & Chairman of Evercore Partners Roger Altman provided welcoming remarks to kick off this forum co-hosted by The Hamilton Project and Results for America. In the first panel discussion, Jeffrey Liebman of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Louis Jacobson of New Horizons Economic Research presented new proposals on the crucial role of evidence and results in policymaking. The authors were joined by former White House Domestic Policy Council Director John Bridgeland, New York City Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs, Results for America Managing Director Michele Jolin and Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone for a discussion of the new papers.

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Investing in What Works: The Importance of Evidence-Based Policymaking

Events • April 17, 2013 • Washington, DC 20001

On April 17th, The Hamilton Project at Brookings and Results for America, an initiative of America Achieves, co-hosted a forum and released two new papers on the important role of evidence in policymaking. U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Alan Krueger, Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and other distinguished experts participated in roundtable discussions on the proposals and how evidence-based policymaking can improve the effectiveness of federally funded programs.

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NEW PAPER

Using Data to Improve the Performance of Workforce Training

Papers • April 2013 • Louis S. Jacobson, Robert J. LaLonde

Workforce training programs have the potential to improve the lives and incomes of millions of Americans by lifting many into the middle class and preventing others from falling out of it. Despite their promise, however, too many workers enroll in courses that they do not complete or complete courses that do not lead to better jobs, reducing the benefits to workers and the economic return to workforce investments. Louis Jacobson of New Horizons Economic Research and Robert LaLonde of the University of Chicago propose a competition to increase the return on training investments by developing the data and measures necessary to provide the information prospective trainees need, by presenting the information in user-friendly “report cards,” by providing help for prospective trainees to use the information effectively, and by creating incentives for states to implement permanent information systems once they prove cost-effective.

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Training America’s Workforce for the Future: Roundtable: Opportunities to Reduce Displaced Workers’ Earnings Losses Through Retraining

November 30, 2011 • Audio

Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone moderates a panel discussion between New Horizons Economic Research President Louis S. Jacobson, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Vice President Rhandi Berth, AFL-CIO Legislative and Policy Specialist for Workforce Issues Daniel Marschall, and Walla Walla Community College President Steven VanAusdle at the event "Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages."
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Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages Photos

November 30, 2011 • Photo Galleries

The Hamilton Project at Brookings held forum and released new policy proposals on training programs geared toward the needs of today’s workforce.  In a rapidly- changing global economy, the skills of some workers have become less valuable, while other skills are in short supply.  By collaborating with industry partners and drawing on evidence about what works, training programs can better prepare workers for jobs in growing industries. A diverse group of policy leaders, stakeholders and training experts participated in the forum to share a range of perspectives, including White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Alan Krueger, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Siemens President and CEO Eric Spiegel.

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Training America’s Workforce for the Future: Roundtable: Opportunities to Reduce Displaced Workers’ Earnings Losses Through Retraining

November 30, 2011 • Video

Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone moderates a panel discussion between New Horizons Economic Research President Louis S. Jacobson, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Vice President Rhandi Berth, AFL-CIO Legislative and Policy Specialist for Workforce Issues Daniel Marschall, and Walla Walla Community College President Steven VanAusdle at the event "Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages."

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Earnings Gains of Displaced Workers in Technical Fields versus Other Fields

November 30, 2011 • Charts

Retraining in technical fields provides higher returns for workers than retraining in non-technical classes.

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Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages

Events • November 30, 2011 • Washington, DC

On November 30, The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution held a forum and released new policy proposals on training programs geared toward the needs of today’s workforce.  In a rapidly changing global economy, the skills of some workers have become obsolete while other skills are in short supply.  By collaborating with industry partners and using evidence about what works, training programs can better prepare workers for jobs with high-demand, both now and in the future.

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Policies to Reduce High-Tenured Displaced Workers’ Earnings Losses Through Retraining

Papers • November 2011 • Louis S. Jacobson, Robert J. LaLonde

After being displaced from long-tenured jobs, workers often experience persistent, significant earnings losses. New research suggests that retraining in certain “high-return” fields can substantially reduce these losses. In a new Hamilton Project paper, Louis S. Jacobson, Robert J. LaLonde and Daniel G. Sullivan propose the establishment of a Displaced Worker Training (DWT) Program to distribute grants to displaced workers so they can obtain longer-term training to substantially increase their earnings. The DWT Program would also leverage the nation’s One-Stop Career Centers to assess and counsel grantees.

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Strengthening One-Stop Career Centers: Helping More Unemployed Workers Find Jobs and Build Skills

Papers • April 2009 • Louis S. Jacobson, Robert J. LaLonde

This paper explores the role that One-Stop Career Centers play in helping the unemployed build new skills and find new jobs, and proposes new measures to expand One-Stop Capacity to help more workers.

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