From 1980 to 2003, the overall U.S. incarceration rate increased from 276 to about 700 per 100,000 people in the population. This unprecedented growth in the incarceration rate has had significantly unequal effects within the population, with prison time becoming pervasive among young unskilled men, especially blacks. Research has shown that it is the shift towards harsher punishments—more than any trends in crime—that is responsible for the growing prison population.
Globalization has dramatically altered the social policies of affluent and developing countries alike. Many EU countries have rethought their welfare systems and labor regulations since the Thatcher era, in order to remain competitive as firms shift to low-wage countries. Meanwhile, Latin America has fluctuated between state-centered and free-market development plans, seeking to attract foreign investment while minimizing social disruptions.
Since the mid-1980s, both immigration and international trade have increased significantly and the debate about how these changes contribute to the declining fortunes of less-skilled U.S. workers has intensified. With an award from the Foundation, economists Jeffrey Grogger and Gordon Hanson will take a new look at the unresolved question of whether or not globalization has negatively affected the wages and employment of U.S. workers.
The Foundation has a longstanding interest in the character and conditions of work in America. In keeping with this tradition of research, economist Richard Freeman will refine and expand the reach of a new interactive online survey tool, worklifewizard.org, that collects data on labor and informs workers about employment issues. The site includes a number of features, including a salary calculator, job profiles, and a section on workers’ rights. Most interesting for social scientists is the survey on work conditions.
- Read an analysis of the project findings by lead investigator John Schmitt
- See the full report (PDF)
- Read the press release from the Center for Economic and Policy Research
- Related Resources
Project Description
Studies on earnings inequality find that black women are underpaid relative to similarly qualified black men, as well as relative to similarly qualified white women. But in economics, standard analytical approaches treat race and gender separately, overlooking the possibility that race and gender interact within the context of labor markets to compound the disadvantages faced by black women workers.
Second Supplemental Appropriation: $200,000 (February 2011)
Project Completed: June 2013
- Read a summary of the project's main findings
- Read the full report: Leaves That Pay: Employer and Worker Experiences with Paid Family Leave in California (PDF)
- Watch Eileen Appelbaum and Ruth Milkman present the report at U.C. Berkeley
- Related RSF Publications
Introduction