While compensating wage differentials are difticult Workers who take these jobs are the ones for whom to measure with precision. the theor in this chad- ter can often find general Support in evervdav dis- the conditions are least disaqreeable. cussions of job choice This example is based on a Thev had tried evervone The Navajos were the oniv ones Willing to be awav trom home, to do the newspaper article about the exclusive use of Nava- jos by the Santa Fe Railway to repair and replace its 9,000 miles or track between Los Angeles and Chicago WorN, and to do a jo Lonely? No, I never get lonely. There is nothing but The 220 Navajos were organized into two steel gangs." Workers did what machines cannot: Dull and sort old spikes, weld the rails together, and check the safety of the new rails. The grueling work was intrinsically unappealing: jobs lasted for only tive to eight months per year; much of the work was done in sweltering desert heat; workers had to live awav from their families and were .. We speak the same language and understand one another. It S a good job. lA steel gang WOrNer With 1o years expenence, Hypothesis 2. The jobs are made appealing to the target group of workers by raising wages well above those of their alternatives wish I could stav home all the time and be with housed in bunk cars with up to 16 other workers; and the remote locations rendered the off-hours boring and lonely. Two hypotheses about jobs such as these can be derived from the theor in this chapter. These hypotheses are listed below, along with supporting quotations or facts from the newspaper article. Hypothesis 1. Companies offering unappealing jobs hind it difficult to recruit and retain employees family. It's just not possible. Where am I going to find a job that pays stu everv two weeks? [A steel gang veteran of Il years] (Steel gang wages in the early 1990s ranged
10:33 1 of 3 Example 1 Working on the Railroad: Making a Bad Job Good While compensating wage differentials are difficult Workers who take these jobs are the ones for whom to measure with precision, the theory in this chap- the conditions are least disagreeable. ter can often find general support in everyday dis- They had tried everyone. The Navajos were the cussions of job choice. This example is based on a only ones willing to be away from home, to do the newspaper article about the exclusive use of Nava- work, and to do a good job. jos by the Santa Fe Railway to repair and replace its [A Santa Fe recruiter] 9,000 miles of track between Los Angeles and Chicago. Lonely? No, I never get lonely. There is nothing but Navajo here. . . . We speak the same language The 220 Navajos were organized into two " steel and understand one another. . . . It's a good job. gangs." Workers did what machines cannot: pull A steel gang wor ith 16 years' experience] and sort old spikes, weld the rails together, and check the safety of the new rails. The grueling Hypothesis 2. The jobs are made appealing to the work was intrinsically unappealing: jobs lasted for target group of workers by raising wages well above only five to eight months per year; much of the those of their alternatives. work was done in sweltering desert heat; workers I wish I could stay home all the time and be with had to live away from their families and were my family. It's just not possible. Where am I going housed in bunk cars with up to 16 other workers; to find a job that pays $900 every two weeks? and the remote locations rendered the off-hours [A steel gang veteran of 11 years] boring and lonely. (Steel gang wages in the early 1990s ranged Two hypotheses about jobs such as these can be between $12 and $17 per hour, well above the derived from the theory in this chapter. These national average of about $10 per hour for "han- hypotheses are listed below, along with supporting dlers and laborers.") quotations or facts from the newspaper article. Hypothesis 1. Companies offering unappealing Data from: Paula Monarez, "Navajos Keep Rail Lines Safe," jobs find it difficult to recruit and retain employees. Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram, May 14, 1992, DI. Example 2 Parenthood, Occupational Choice, and Risk The theory of compensating wage differentials is women without children worked in jobs with a built on the assumption that among workers in a greater risk of death than married women with chil- given labor market, those with the stronger aversions dren, but that single mothers chose to work in even to risk will select themselves into safer (but lower- safer jobs. paying) jobs. It is difficult to test the implications of It was found that among men, those who were this assumption because measuring risk aversion is single parents worked in safer jobs than married not generally possible. However, one study analyzed men, but married men with children apparently did workers' choices when the relative strength of aver- not behave much differently than those without. sion to injury risk could be logically inferred. The study argues that because married men are It is well known that women are found in safer typically not in the role of caregiver to their chil- jobs than men. In the mid-1990s, for example, men dren, they may believe they can take higher-paying, made up 54 percent of all workers but constituted riskier jobs but adequately protect their children 92 percent of workers killed on the job! What is not through buying life insurance. Married women, in so well known is that among each gender group, contrast, do not find life insurance as effective in there is an equally striking pattern-men and women protecting children, because it provides only who are single parents choose to work in safer jobs. money, which cannot replace the care and nurtur- This study argues that workers who are raising ing that mothers give. children feel a greater need to avoid risk on the job because they have loved ones who depend on them, Source: Thomas DeLeire and Helen Levy, "Worker Sorting and, of course, this should be especially true for sin- and the Risk of Death on the Job," Journal of Labor Econom- gle parents. Indeed, the study found that married ics 22 (October 2004): 925-953- Example 3 Did the G.I. Bill Increase Educational Attainment for Returning World War II Vets? Veterans returning from service in World War II attendance of male veterans with otherwise similar were eligible to receive unprecedented federal sup- individuals. It finds that among high school gradu- port through the G.I. Bill if they chose to attend ates, World War II veterans completed an average college. Benefits under the G.I. Bill substantially of about 0.3 more years of college than did nonvet- subsidized the costs of a college education, covering erans and that they had a 6 percentage-point the tuition charged by almost all private and public greater college completion rate. Similar estimates universities and providing monthly stipends rang. were obtained when co aring those eligible for A mycc.coquitlamcollege.com C mTopic Driven Reflection 2 Due: Friday, 25 March 2022, 11:59 PM For this Topic Driven Reflection, you can pick one of the topics below and provide your own analyzation, comments, and/or opinion. The length of your reflection should be 200 to 250 words. If you use any external sources, properly cite it using APA guidelines. Your reflection will be evaluated based on clarity, content, and convention. Topics (available in the PDF) - Working on the Railroad: Making a Bad Job Good - Parenthood, Occupational Choice, and Risk - Did the G.I.Bill Increase Educational Attainment for Returning World War II Vets? - The Socially Optimal Level of Educational Investment - Valuing a Human Asset: The Case of the Divorcing Doctor 6 AA mycc.coquitlamcollegecom G
