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Conference Agenda and Presentations

Thursday, April 16 (6:30 p.m.) Commerce Club (invitation only).

Reception, welcoming comments, dinner, after-dinner talk.
                Henry Farber (Princeton) – “Long-term Employment and Job Security”
                Labor market scholar Henry Farber will focus on changes over time in job
                attachment, long-term employment, job loss and subsequent employment, and
                employment security. Presentation (pdf)

Friday, April 17 (8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.), Andrew Young School, 7th Floor Conference Room (open to the public)

8:30                        Continental breakfast

8:45                        Introductory remarks – Robert Moore, W.J. Usery, Barry Hirsch

9:00-10:00             Brigitte Madrian (Harvard) “Pensions, Savings Plans, and Public Policy”
Private and public pension fund wealth has been battered by the current financial crisis. Pension expert Brigitte Madrian provides an overview of key issues with respect to workplace pensions/savings plan, social insurance, and labor markets and public policy. Presentation (pdf)
Commentator: William Custer

10:00-11:00          Amitabh Chandra (Harvard) “Cost Growth in Healthcare and the Workplace”
Healthcare costs as a proportion of GDP continue to climb. Health and labor economist Amitabh Chandra examines how workplace costs for healthcare have grown and discusses alternative public policies for healthcare and their implications for labor markets. Presentation (pdf)
Commentator: James Marton

11:00-11:15         Break

11:15-12:15         Price Fishback (Arizona) “The Great Depression and New Deal: Lessons for Today?”
Today’s economic crisis and expansion of federal government activity has parallels to the Great Depression and New Deal. Labor and economic historian Price Fishback will identify key features of New Deal policies and the economy, identifying lessons for today. Presentation (ppt)
Commentator: Bruce Kaufman

12:15-1:30           Lunch

1:30-2:30              Harry Holzer (Georgetown) “Recent Employment Trends among African Americans and their Implications for Policy”
Employment, wages, and attachment to formal labor markets have deteriorated for many African Americans. Harry Holzer will identify these trends, their causes, and the types of policies intended to improve these labor market outcomes. Presentation (ppt)
Commentator: David Sjoquist

2:30-3:30              Charles Clotfelter (Duke) “Segregated Schools, Mobile Teachers, and Educational Equity”
Public schools are becoming increasingly segregated. Teacher mobility within and across school districts often results in less experienced teachers assigned to the most challenging schools. Charles Clotfelter will identify these trends, see where we are headed, and examine alternative policies to address education equity. Presentation (ppt)
Presentation Comments (pdf)
Commentator: Mary Beth Walker

3:30-3:45              Break

3:45-5:00              Labor Policy Roundtable: Chandra, Clotfelter, Farber, Fishback, Hirsch, Holzer, Madrian, and audience
The roundtable will feature discussion and an exchange of ideas between these scholars and the audience. Key themes from the conference and labor market policy will be emphasized.

Note:                    Each talk will be followed by brief remarks from a commentator and audience discussion (about 15 minutes). 

Contact information: Barry Hirsch, W.J. Usery Chair of the American Workplace at bhirsch@gsu.edu.