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Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, Econ 248
Lecture Outline: Some Monetary Causes of Poverty
Readings: EPD Ch. 4, UPF Ch. 2 [pp. 22-29]
I. Unemployment
A. Measurement Terms and Issues
1. Definitions
• Labor force: those employed or actively seeking work (the unemployed)
• Labor force participation rate = # in LF*100/# civilian and noninstitutionalized
• Employment Ratio = # employed*100/# civilian and noninstitutionalized
• Unemployment Rate = # unemployed*100/# in labor force
2. What does the unemployment rate measure?
3. How good a measure is it?
4. Some measures
B. Causation Issues
1. Internal
2. External
• Cyclical unemployment
• Structural unemployment
II. Low Pay
A. The Issue: why doesn’t work guarantee a nonpoverty wage?
B. Why do we have working poor?
• Minimum wages
• Low wages
Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, Econ 248
References for following tables
1. Table A-12. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization – from: Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS), Employment Situation , news release, January 2008.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t12.htm
2. Unemployment rates by State, 2006 Annual Averages. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
http://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/aastrate.pdf
3. Unemployment rates by County, 2006 Annual Averages. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
http://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/aacnrt.pdf
4. Unemployment Rates by County in Wisconsin, 2006 Annual Average. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, ‘snapshot’ of http://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/aacnrt.pdf
5. Table 24. Unemployed persons by marital status, race, age, and sex – from: BLS Employment
and Earnings , January 2007. http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat24.pdf
6. Unemployment Rate, by Race and Gender: 1972-2006 – Compiled from Current Population
Survey data from the BLS
6. Tables 29 and 30. Unemployed persons by reason for unemployment, sex, age, and duration
of unemployment – from: BLS Employment and Earnings , January 2007.
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat29.pdf and http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat29.pdf
7. Individual State Minimum Wage Laws. From US Department of Labor, Employment
Standards Administration. First page of following webpage:
http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm
8. Table 44. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing
Federal minimum wage, by selected characteristics – from: BLS Employment and Earnings,
January 2007. http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat44.pdf
Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, Econ 248 From: Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/aastrate.pdf
Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, Econ 248 From: Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/aacnrt.pdf
Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, Econ 248
From: BLS Employment and Earnings , January 2007. http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat24.pdf
Eco
nomics of Poverty and Discrimination, Econ 248
Unemployment Rate by Race and Gender
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Year
Unemployment Rate
White Men
Black Men
White Women
Black Women
Compiled from Current Population Survey Data. Collected from BLS published data from various years of the Current Population Survey.
Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, Econ 248
U.S. Department of Labor Employment Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division
Minimum Wage Laws in the States as of January 1, 2008
Click on any state or jurisdiction to find out about applicable minimum wage laws. Note: Where Federal and state law have different minimum wage rates, the higher standard applies.
States with minimum wage rates higher than the Federal States with no minimum wage law States with minimum wage rates the same as the Federal States with minimum wage rates lower than the Federal American Samoa has special minimum wage rates
Minimum Wage and Overtime Premium Pay Standards Applicable to Nonsupervisory NONFARM Private Sector Employment Under State and Federal Laws January 1, 2008 1
Note: This is a Word document from the first page of the following US Department of Labor website: http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm. Please see the link for a fully functional webpage.
Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, Econ 248
From: BLS Employment and Earnings, January 2007 – http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat44.pdf
