This book offers contributions from a number of noted economists who exploit the American Time Use Survey to reveal findings that have numerous implications for the U.S. labor market. The authors examine topics such as child care, housework, household production and consumption, and shift work. In each case, the focus is on the value of time and how time spent on one activity instead of another represents value gained for the first activity and value lost for the second.

This book pays tribute to Vernon M. Briggs Jr. and his enduring mark on the study of human resources. The chapters, by his students and colleagues, explore and extend Briggs's work on employment, education and training, immigration, and local labor markets. His unwavering emphasis on institutional reality, public policy, and economic dynamics animates the entire collection.

Muir and Turner gather an international roster of pension experts who present what they think would be the ideal pension systems for their countries and why. Those countries include the United States, the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Poland, and Japan.

The papers in this volume provide much-needed focus and in-depth coverage of the effect of income volatility on the participation in and design of food assistance programs such as the Food Stamp Program and the National School Lunch Program.

John Turner uses the documented experiences of many countries—including the U.K., Sweden, Chile, Australia, Canada, and others—and the tools of economics to analyze the public policy issues surrounding the proposed implementation of individual accounts as part of the U.S. Social Security system. The result is a book that clarifies these issues while offering direction to Social Security policymakers. Also included is a comprehensive overview of the types of defined contribution plans in use today.

Bartik shows that investing in high-quality early childhood programs produces long-term local economic development benefits.

"Morris Kleiner has produced the most thorough evaluation of the effects of occupational licensing in years, perhaps ever. In a rational world, this book would provoke interest by policymakers and the public in reconsidering where occupational licensing is beneficial for society, and where it is beneficial for those lucky enough to be granted licenses but not for society as a whole." –Alan B. Krueger, Princeton University

The life expectancy of Americans continues to increase, and each day 12,000 baby boomers turn 50, expanding the ranks of our older population while ramping up the pressure on public and private retirement programs. At the same time, public policy has failed to keep pace with the challenges this aging population brings of how to pay for the living costs of those added years; many of our current social policies and employee benefit policies were designed during an era when people had shorter life spans. Turner addresses these policy issues and makes the case that longevity policy should be recognized as a distinct area—as we do now for climate change. Instead of treating issues relating to older age, Social Security, and pensions separately, we need to recognize the interrelationships among these areas and adopt a unified approach toward policy. Doing so, Turner argues, would make for much more effective and efficient policymaking.

Johnson, Kalil, and Dunifon focus on this tenuous work-family balance, or lack thereof, and its effects on children. What they discover is that work per se is not detrimental for single-mother families. In fact, it brings stability, routine, and a sense of pride to working women and their families. However, they also find that the nature of the work— the type of work, number of hours worked, and the flexibility of the job—is a key factor in maintaining an acceptable balance and in promoting positive outcomes for their children.

This book will help readers understand why occupational shortages arise, how to know a shortage when it is present, and to assess strategies to alleviate the shortage.