Papers: Global Economy

NEW PAPER

Building America’s Job Skills with Effective Workforce Programs: A Training Strategy to Raise Wages and Increase Work Opportunities

November 2011 • Michael Greenstone, Adam Looney • Employment & Wages, Education, Global Economy, Economic Security, Poverty

Amid the Great Recession and rapid technological changes, both workers with less education and workers who have been displaced from long-tenured jobs face challenges because they lack the particular skills that employers demand for good-paying jobs. In a new Hamilton Project strategy paper, Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney address the importance of developing workers’ skills through training and workforce development programs, and examine newly available evidence on policies that boost job opportunities and wages.

NEW PAPER

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

November 2011 • Louis S. Jacobson, Daniel G. Sullivan, Robert J. LaLonde • Employment & Wages, Education, Poverty, Global Economy, Economic Security

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.

Creating 21st Century Jobs: Increasing Employment and Wages for American Workers in a Changing World

December 2010 • Employment & Wages, Technology & Innovation, Global Economy

In this paper, the Center for American Progress (CAP) and The Hamilton Project (THP) outline three proposals to help address the long-run imperative of creating jobs and improving wages in the United States.

Ten Economic Facts about Immigration

September 2010 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone • Global Economy

This policy memo explores some of the questions frequently raised around immigration in the United States and provides facts drawn from publicly available data sets and the academic literature.

The Polarization of Job Opportunities in the U.S. Labor Market: Implications for Employment and Earnings

April 2010 • David Autor • Employment & Wages, Global Economy

This paper analyzes the U.S. labor market over the past three decades and finds employment polarization on the rise as job opportunities decline in middle-skill occupations, resulting in a sharp increase in wage inequality.

A U.S. Cap-and-Trade System to Address Global Climate Change

October 2007 • Robert N. Stavins • Energy & Environment, Global Economy

This paper lays out the arguments for using cap-and-trade to address climate change and proposes a system that includes an upstream cap on CO₂, a gradual downward trajectory of emissions ceilings over time, and mechanisms to reduce cost uncertainty.

An Economic Strategy to Address Climate Change and Promote Energy Security

October 2007 • Jason Furman, Jason E. Bordoff • Energy & Environment, Global Economy

This paper presents a strategy for addressing climate change and promoting energy security that includes pricing carbon and oil, investing in basic research on energy technologies, and engaging with other major emitting nations.

Growth, Opportunity, and Prosperity in a Globalizing Economy

July 2006 • Michael Deich, Peter Orszag • Global Economy

This briefing paper articulates a philosophy of embracing international competition while investing in workers and market-friendly insurance. The underlying goal is to boost overall productivity while also sharing more broadly both the benefits and costs of trade.