Documents Boushey, Heather 6 results

"Employers today are demanding more and more of employees' time. And from campaign barbecues to the blogosphere, workers across the United States are raising the same worried question: How can I get ahead at my job while making sure my family doesn't fall behind?

Heather Boushey argues that resolving work–life conflicts is as vital for individuals and families as it is essential for realizing the country's productive potential. The federal government, however, largely ignores the connection between individual work–life conflicts and more sustainable economic growth. The consequence: business and government treat the most important things in life—health, children, elders—as matters for workers to care about entirely on their own time and dime. That might have worked in the past, but only thanks to a hidden subsidy: the American Wife, a behind-the-scenes, stay-at-home fixer of what economists call market failures. When women left the home—out of desire and necessity—the old system fell apart. Families and the larger economy have yet to recover.

But change is possible. Finding Time presents detailed innovations to help Americans find the time they need and help businesses attract more productive workers. A policy wonk with working-class roots and a deep understanding of the stresses faced by families up and down the income ladder, Heather Boushey demonstrates with clarity and compassion that economic efficiency and equity do not have to be enemies. They can be reconciled if we have the vision to forge a new social contract for business, government, and private citizens."

"Economic inequality has traditionally not been the center of mainstream macroeconomic thought. Rethinking whether and how today's high economic inequality – along all axes, not just income – affects economic growth and stability is an increasingly relevant and important field of inquiry. This paper investigates how economic research can inform the debate on the relationship between inequality and growth. I define the relationship between inequality and growth as well as briefly review the literature on their relationship. Then, I outline the channels through which inequality may affect growth. And finally, I address possible avenues for public policy going forward."

"Most minimum-wage workers are adults making significant contributions to the total family income. In the early 2000s, less than one-in-five workers earning the minimum wage was under the age of 20 and half were between the ages of 25 and 54. Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation, this article finds that prime-age workers in minimum-wage jobs are likely to "get stuck" at those jobs. Over a third of prime-age adults in minimum-wage jobs remain in minimum-wage jobs three years later. Not all adults in minimum-wage jobs have the same chance of moving into a job paying more than the minimum wage. The probability of moving out of a minimum-wage job is higher for men, native-born citizens, those with union jobs, and those that change industry and/or occupation. The probability of staying in a minimum-wage job was greater in the early and mid-1990s, as compared to the late 1990s and early 2000s."