Some Proposals For Improving Work, Wages, Together With Skills For Americans

The Aspen Institute Economic Study Group has published a collection of 12 papers on the subject Expanding Economic Opportunity for More Americans Bipartisan Policies to Increase Work, Wages, in addition to Skills, edited past times Melissa S. Kearney in addition to Amy Ganz (February 2019). I'll listing the consummate Table of Contents for the book below. Here, I'll simply focus on iv of the proposals that struck me equally particularly thought-provoking: caught

1) Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Boost for Community Colleges

From "A Policy Agenda to Develop Human Capital for the Modern Economy," by  Austan Goolsbee, Glenn Hubbard, in addition to Amy Ganz:

The U.S.A. should brand a bold in addition to dedicated commitment to increasing the skills in addition to productivity of its workforce past times leveraging the potential of the community college sector. We suggest a federal grant programme to provide novel funding to community colleges, contingent on institutional outcomes inward storey completion rates in addition to task marketplace outcomes. We believe a programme of a similar scale to the 19th century Morrill Land Grant Program, which dramatically expanded access to higher teaching for working-class Americans, is needed to ensure our workforce meets the demands of the modern economy. ...

In 1910, fewer than 10% of Americans had a high schoolhouse degree. By 1935, nearly 40% of the population had earned their degrees. This inflection holler for came from substantial novel investments inward the nation’s teaching resources. We aim to attain increases of a similar magnitude ...by 2030:

1. Close the completion gap betwixt two-year college students aged eighteen to 24 in addition to their peers at four-year institutions past times increasing the average completion/transfer charge per unit of measurement alongside 18- to 24-year-olds at community colleges from 37.5% to 60% past times 2030.3 This would outcome inward 3.6 ane chiliad m additional 18- to 24-year-olds with college degrees inward 2030.
2. Increase the portion of Americans aged 25 to 64 with a college storey or other high-quality credential from 46.9% to 65% past times 2030, which reflects the expected portion of jobs requiring advanced skills past times that year. This finish would require 28 ane chiliad m additional workers to earn first-time degrees or high-quality credentials past times 2030. ... 

We gauge an annual investment of $22 billion. 

2) Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Boost for Apprenticeships

From "Scaling Apprenticeship to Increase Human Capital," by Robert I. Lerman

[T]he U.S.A. has lagged far behind other developed countries—countries similar Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany in addition to Switzerland, but too Australia, Canada, in addition to England—in creating apprenticeships. In these countries, apprentices industrial plant life almost 2.5-3.0% of the task force, or almost 10 times the U.S.A. rate. Increasing the availability of apprenticeships would increment youth job in addition to wages, meliorate workers’ transitions from schoolhouse to careers, upgrade those skills that employers most value, broaden access to rewarding careers, increment economical productivity, in addition to contribute to positive returns for employers in addition to workers. ...

The experiences of Australia, Canada, in addition to England demonstrate that scaling apprenticeship is quite possible, fifty-fifty exterior countries with a strong tradition of apprenticeship. While none of these countries convey the strong apprenticeship tradition seen inward countries similar Austria, Germany, or Switzerland, they convey soundless grown important programs. In fact, if apprenticeships equally a portion of the U.S.A. task forcefulness reached the levels already achieved inward Australia, Canada, in addition to England (on average), the U.S.A. would attain over 4 ane chiliad m apprenticeships, almost ix times the electrical current issue of registered apprenticeships inward the civilian sector. ...

Overall, the federal authorities has devoted less than $30 ane chiliad m (per year) to the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) to supervise, market, regulate, in addition to publicize the system. Many states convey exclusively ane employee working nether their OA. Were the U.S.A. to pass what United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland spends annually on apprenticeship, adjusting for differences inward the size in addition to composition of the task force, it would provide at to the lowest degree $9 billion per yr for apprenticeship. In fact, the British authorities spends equally much on advertising its apprenticeship programs equally the entire U.S.A. budget for apprenticeship. ...

Today, funding for the “academic only” approach to science evolution inward the U.S.A. dwarfs the rattling express amounts available to marketplace in addition to back upwards apprenticeship. Yet apprenticeship programs yield far higher in addition to to a greater extent than immediate gains inward lucre than practise community or career college programs in addition to toll students in addition to the authorities far less.

3) Sharing the Costs of Higher Minimum Wages with a Tax Credit

From "The Higher Wages Tax Credit," by David Neumark

In recent years, at that spot has been a torrent of reason in addition to local minimum wage increases. For example, equally of the terminate of 2017, xxx states (including the District of Columbia) had minimum reward higher upwards the $7.25 federal minimum wage, with an average departure of 26%. At the reason in addition to local level, California, New York, Seattle, in addition to the District of Columbia convey or volition shortly convey a $15 minimum wage; other localities may follow. Finally, a alter inward the national political alignment could outcome inward a $15 national minimum. ...

While the effects of minimum wage increases are contested, it is impossible to dismiss the sizeable torso of evidence that suggests minimum wage hikes trim back job alongside the to the lowest degree skilled (including recent query that addresses criticisms of before evidence). In addition, it is uncontested that higher minimum reward practise non target low-income families rattling well, inward business office because of the large issue of teenagers earning the minimum wage, in addition to inward business office because poverty is to a greater extent than strongly related to whether or non ane works in addition to how many hours ane works, rather than depression reward ....

I suggest a Higher Wages Tax Credit (HWTC) to partially offset the costs imposed past times minimum wage increases on firms that employ low-skilled labor. Following a minimum wage increase, the HWTC would provide a taxation credit of 50% of the departure betwixt the prior minimum wage in addition to the novel minimum wage, for each hr of task employed; the credit would stage out at reward higher than the minimum wage, in addition to equally wage inflation erodes the existent toll of higher nominal minimum wages. The HWTC would trim back the incentive for employers to substitute away from low-skilled workers inward the aspect upwards of minimum wage increases, thence mitigating the potential adverse effects of minimum wage increases piece simultaneously preserving in addition to perchance enhancing unopen to of the benefits of minimum wage hikes.

4) Minimum Zoning to Ease Movement to Higher-Cost, Higher-Wage Locations

From "How Minimum Zoning Mandates Can Improve Housing Markets in addition to Expand Opportunity," by Joshua D. Gottlieb

Dramatic differences inward income, productivity, in addition to housing costs inside the U.S.A. brand geographic mobility of import for spreading prosperity. But Americans’ might to motion to places similar San Francisco, Boston, in addition to New York inward search of economical opportunities is express past times severe restrictions on novel housing furnish inward these productive places.State-level Minimum Zoning Mandates (MZMs) allowing landowners to construct at a state-guaranteed minimum density, fifty-fifty inward municipalities resistant to development, would live on an effective agency of encouraging denser housing development. These MZMs would meliorate housing affordability, spread economical chance to a greater extent than broadly, in addition to bound the environmental touching on of novel development. ...

I suggest that reason governments adopt Minimum Zoning Mandates (MZMs). These MZMs would live on explicit zoning codes that provide a baseline minimum density that reason owners, such equally developers, tin invoke when municipal zoning in addition to permitting processes forestall useful development.

The MZMs should provide all reason owners with a meaningful correct to construct housing upwards to a sure enough density significantly beyond single-family houses. Medium-density rowhouses in addition to small-scale storey buildings should live on allowed inward every location where whatever form of evolution is allowed. This is the type of density that is associated with unopen to of America’s most-loved neighborhoods: Greenwich Village in addition to other parts of Lower Manhattan, Boston’s North End in addition to South End, the Mission inward San Francisco, Lincoln Park inward Chicago, in addition to much of historic Philadelphia. It meshes good with existing single-family homes, equally nosotros consider inward places similar Cambridge, Massachusetts. MZMs postulate non enable high-rise condo towers that would alter the grapheme of leafy, low-density neighborhoods. Even medium-density zoning rules could generate interesting novel neighborhoods in addition to resolve the housing shortages inward productive cities.

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Full Table of Contents

Part I: Developing Human Capital for the Modern, Global Economy

"A Policy Agenda to Develop Human Capital for the Modern Economy," past times Glenn Hubbard, Austan Goolsbee, in addition to Amy Ganz
"What Works inward Career in addition to Technical Education (CTE)? Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Review of Evidence in addition to Suggested Policy Directions,"  past times Ann Huff Stevens
"Scaling Apprenticeship to Increase Human Capital,"  past times Robert I. Lerman
"The Challenges of Leveraging Online Education for Economically Vulnerable Mid-Career Americans," past times Joshua Goodman

Part II: Increasing Prime-Age Labor Force Participation 

"A Policymaker’s Guide to Labor Force Participation," Keith Hennessey in addition to Bruce Reed
"Restoring Economic Opportunity for `The People Left Behind': Employment Strategies for Rural America." past times James P. Ziliak
"Policies to Reintegrate Former Inmates Into the Labor Force," past times Manudeep Bhuller, Gordon B. Dahl, in addition to Katrine V. Løken

Part III: Promoting Private Sector Wage Growth in addition to Job Creation 

"Economic Strategy for Higher Wages in addition to Expanded Labor Participation," Jason Furman in addition to Phillip Swagel
"The Link Between Wages in addition to Productivity Is Strong," past times Michael R. Strain
"Creating Economic Opportunity for More Americans Through Productivity Growth," past times Republic of Chad Syverson
"The Higher Wages Tax Credit," past times David Neumark
"How Minimum Zoning Mandates Can Improve Housing Markets in addition to Expand Opportunity." bny Joshua D. Gottlieb