Contract length,wage indexation,andex ante variability of real wages

This paper proposes a new measure for the insurance value of a cost of living escalator (Cola) — theex ante uncertainty of real wages over the life of the contract. We use a sample of 3,224 U.S. collective bargaining agreements to find that indexation lowers and large contract duration raises this uncertainty. The positive association of Colas and contract length implies that when workers obtain a Cola, a portion of itsceteris paribus insurance value is diminished through the resulting longer contract length.     

Police bargaining,arbitration, and fringe benefits

Data from a national sample of 500 to 600 U.S. cities with over 25,000 in population indicated that the practice of police collective bargaining has a positive, strong association with fringe benefits (measured by city contributions for police retirement and insurance benefits per police officer). The availability of arbitration, however, seems to have little or no influence on the dollar amount of police fringes, and neither the current nor the prior use of arbitration (i.e., actually receiving an arbitration award) has any consistent association with police fringes. The results indicate that collective bargaining and regional location influence the level of police fringes more than do other variables. We are grateful to Steve Kawakami, Mark Phillips, Joe Schimansky, and Dick Williams for some excellent research assistance. We are also grateful to the National Institute of Justice of the U.S. Department of Justice for financially supporting this research. Such support does not mean that the Institute or Department necessarily agrees with our methods or conclusions.     

Major Sources of Exposure to Benzene and Other Volatile Organic Chemicals1,2

The major sources of human exposure to about a dozen volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) have recently been identified.¹ For nearly every chemical, the major sources of exposure are completely different from the major sources of emissions. This finding implies that current environmental regulations and control strategies are misdirected. Important sources of exposure are typically not regulated in any way, whereas unimportant sources are heavily regulated. Vast sums of money are spent on problems involving little risk (e.g., hazardous waste sites), whereas few resources are expended on problems involving higher risk (e.g., indoor air pollution). The following paper summarizes recent findings regarding major sources of exposure to several VOCs. Benzene is selected as a case study. Brief discussions of tetrachloroethylene and paradichlorobenzene are also included.     

“BUT YOU DON'T LIVE HERE,MAN”: NEGOTIATING SOCIAL REALITY AT THE ROSEBUSH HOTEL

Rules of social order are negotiated: actors' theories of negotiations in any particular setting affect what gets negotiated and how. This research looks at the negotiation process between two groups who had asymmetrical desires for the negotiations: one focusing on process, one on outcomes. Factors such as the balance of power, structural constraints, negotiation contexts and intergroup relationships help explain what gets negotiated and what gets changed. Actors' theories as a measure of reality become important in analyzing the “success” and importance of the negotiating process. Actors' theories affect not only what gets negotiated but the scope, durability, and volatility of negotiation.     

Rising Economic Prosperity and Social Quality the Case of New Member States of the European Union

This paper considers whether rising economic prosperity in the New Member States of the European Union since joining the EU is also reflected in better a quality of life and what constitutes a better quality of society for the citizens of these countries. The paper contributes to the debate about the relationship between economic conditions and subjective well-being by showing that the factors that contribute to the latter have not only changed with economic growth but that subjective life satisfaction has also improved. Here we consider how this relationship can be explained by using the Social Quality model to measure the quality of society. We look specifically at the New Member States of the European Union (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria) using the European Quality of Life Surveys for 2003 and 2007. This covers a period during which the economic conditions of these societies improved and they modernised. The social quality model explains a great deal of the variance in life satisfaction and helps us to show that as well as economic factors, other aspects of the quality of society, such as social integration and empowerment, are also important. We argue that economic and social factors have to be understood as interacting with other aspects of society if we seek to understand the quality of society.     

Project VOGUE: A Partnership for Increasing HIV Knowledge and HIV Vaccine Trial Awareness Among House Ball Leaders in Western New York

Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender individuals of color, the largest demographic in the House Ball Community (HBC), are amongst the group at highest risk for HIV infection in the United States. The HBC have limited access to culturally appropriate HIV education. This study aimed to develop a partnership with HBC leaders to uncover strategies for increasing HIV prevention knowledge, including participation in HIV vaccine trials. To this end a research institution-community-HBC partnership was established. In-depth qualitative and quantitative data were collected from the 14 HBC leaders in Western New York, revealing that knowledge of HIV and related vaccine trials was limited. Barriers to increasing HIV knowledge included fear of peer judgment, having inaccurate information about HIV, and lack of education. Among the HBC, community partnerships will further aid in the development of future HIV prevention programs and increase individuals’ willingness to participate in future HIV vaccine trials.     

Data-Driven Organizing: A Community–University Partnership to Address Vacant and Abandoned Property

Vacant and abandoned properties adversely affect the physical, mental, social, and economic health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. This article describes a community–university partnership that combined a multimethod data collection strategy with a novel community-based participatory intervention research model (i.e., data-driven organizing) to address the vacancy problem. The project assessed the conditions of over 1,500 properties in an economically disadvantaged, predominantly African American neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and mobilized residents to use an existing policy mechanism to ameliorate the impact of property vacancy in the community.