Not Working

Not Working
Author: David G. Blanchflower
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 462
Release: 2021-04-13
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0691217092

A candid explanation of how the labor market really works and is central to everything—and why it is not as healthy as we think Relying on unemployment numbers is a dangerous way to gauge how the labor market is doing. Because of a false sense of optimism prior to the COVID-19 shock, the working world was more vulnerable than it should have been. Not Working is about how people want full-time work at a decent wage and how the plight of the underemployed contributes to widespread despair, a worsening drug epidemic, and the unchecked rise of right-wing populism. David Blanchflower explains why the economy since the Great Recession is vastly different from what came before, and calls out our leaders for their continued failure to address one of the most unacknowledged social catastrophes of our time. This revelatory and outspoken book is his candid report on how the young and the less skilled are among the worst casualties of underemployment, how immigrants are taking the blame, and how the epidemic of unhappiness and self-destruction will continue to spread unless we deal with it. Especially urgent now, Not Working is an essential guide to strengthening the labor market for all when we need it most.

Men Without Work

Men Without Work
Author: Nicholas Eberstadt
Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2016-09-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1599474700

By one reading, things look pretty good for Americans today: the country is richer than ever before and the unemployment rate is down by half since the Great Recession—lower today, in fact, than for most of the postwar era. But a closer look shows that something is going seriously wrong. This is the collapse of work—most especially among America’s men. Nicholas Eberstadt, a political economist who holds the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, shows that while “unemployment” has gone down, America’s work rate is also lower today than a generation ago—and that the work rate for US men has been spiraling downward for half a century. Astonishingly, the work rate for American males aged twenty-five to fifty-four—or “men of prime working age”—was actually slightly lower in 2015 than it had been in 1940: before the War, and at the tail end of the Great Depression. Today, nearly one in six prime working age men has no paid work at all—and nearly one in eight is out of the labor force entirely, neither working nor even looking for work. This new normal of “men without work,” argues Eberstadt, is “America’s invisible crisis.” So who are these men? How did they get there? What are they doing with their time? And what are the implications of this exit from work for American society? Nicholas Eberstadt lays out the issue and Jared Bernstein from the left and Henry Olsen from the right offer their responses to this national crisis. For more information, please visit http://menwithoutwork.com.

Bullshit Jobs

Bullshit Jobs
Author: David Graeber
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2019-05-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1501143336

From David Graeber, the bestselling author of The Dawn of Everything and Debt—“a master of opening up thought and stimulating debate” (Slate)—a powerful argument against the rise of meaningless, unfulfilling jobs…and their consequences. Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world? In the spring of 2013, David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative essay titled “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” It went viral. After one million online views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer. There are hordes of people—HR consultants, communication coordinators, telemarketing researchers, corporate lawyers—whose jobs are useless, and, tragically, they know it. These people are caught in bullshit jobs. Graeber explores one of society’s most vexing and deeply felt concerns, indicting among other villains a particular strain of finance capitalism that betrays ideals shared by thinkers ranging from Keynes to Lincoln. “Clever and charismatic” (The New Yorker), Bullshit Jobs gives individuals, corporations, and societies permission to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture. This book is for everyone who wants to turn their vocation back into an avocation and “a thought-provoking examination of our working lives” (Financial Times).

Where Have All the Homeless Gone?

Where Have All the Homeless Gone?
Author: Anthony Marcus
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2006
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781845450502

For a decade, from 1983 to 1993, homelessness was a major concern in the United States. In 1994, this public concern suddenly disappeared, without any significant reduction in the number of people without proper housing. By examining the making and unmaking of a homeless crisis, this book explores how public understandings of what constitutes a social crisis are shaped. Drawing on five years of ethnographic research in New York City with African Americans and Latinos living in poverty, Where Have All the Homeless Gone? reveals that the homeless "crisis" was driven as much by political misrepresentations of poverty, race, and social difference, as the housing, unemployment, and healthcare problems that caused homelessness and continue to plague American cities.

The New Geography of Jobs

The New Geography of Jobs
Author: Enrico Moretti
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2012
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0547750110

Makes correlations between success and geography, explaining how such rising centers of innovation as San Francisco and Austin are likely to offer influential opportunities and shape the national and global economies in positive or detrimental ways.

Where Have All the People Gone?

Where Have All the People Gone?
Author: Rainer Gruessner
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2023-10-13
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN:

This poignant book delves into the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on New York City, aptly known as the ‘Capital of the World.’ Divided into three compelling parts, it unravels the harrowing narrative through text and captivating imagery. In the first part, readers are immersed in a comprehensive chronicle of the pandemic, capturing its relentless grip on the city and its inhabitants. It delves into the multifaceted consequences that unfolded, encompassing the devastating toll on healthcare, the economy, culture, and the collective psyche of New York City. This section serves as a somber reflection on the overwhelming challenges faced by the city, painting a vivid picture of the trials and tribulations endured. The second part presents a surrealistic photographic testimony, allowing readers to witness the haunting transformation of New York City during the COVID lockdown. Through historically unique images, the book spotlights the eerily deserted streets and iconic landmarks that once thrived with vibrant energy. This visual exploration serves as a poignant reminder of the stark contrast between the city’s bustling past and its hauntingly quiet present, leaving a lasting impression of the profound impact the pandemic had on its urban landscape. The third part focuses on some positive aspects of the pandemic, despite its gruesome human toll, as it concerns many aspects of our daily life, work, and the environment. It exposes how and why the pandemic has changed our perspective on life. Together, these three parts create a poignant and powerful account of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on New York City. The book exposes the raw reality of the crisis while also offering glimpses of resilience and hope, showcasing the indomitable spirit of the city and its residents as they fought back against this devastating health crisis.

Where Have All the Servants Gone?

Where Have All the Servants Gone?
Author: Tony Buchanan
Publisher: WestBow Press
Total Pages: 126
Release: 2015-03-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1490872728

Where Have All the Servants Gone? compares the first three Israelite Kings to the way we lead churches today. Where Have All the Servants Gone? uses the servant parable to tie the three kings to the job description Jesus laid out for us as church leaders and also to how we should lead the next generation into their roles in church.

The Case for a Job Guarantee

The Case for a Job Guarantee
Author: Pavlina R. Tcherneva
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 86
Release: 2020-06-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1509542116

One of the most enduring ideas in economics is that unemployment is both unavoidable and necessary for the smooth functioning of the economy. This assumption has provided cover for the devastating social and economic costs of job insecurity. It is also false. In this book, leading expert Pavlina R. Tcherneva challenges us to imagine a world where the phantom of unemployment is banished and anyone who seeks decent, living-wage work can find it - guaranteed. This is the aim of the Job Guarantee proposal: to provide a voluntary employment opportunity in public service to anyone who needs it. Tcherneva enumerates the many advantages of the Job Guarantee over the status quo and proposes a blueprint for its implementation within the wider context of the need for a Green New Deal. This compact primer is the ultimate guide to the benefits of one of the most transformative public policies being discussed today. It is essential reading for all citizens and activists who are passionate about social justice and building a fairer economy.

Where Have All the Democrats Gone?

Where Have All the Democrats Gone?
Author: Ruy Teixeira
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2023-11-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1250877504

A Wall Street Journal Best Political Book of 2023 A much-needed wake-up call for the Democrats, which reveals how the party has lost sight of its core principles and endangered its political future—from the authors of “one of the most influential political books of the 21st century” (The New York Times) For decades, American politics has been plagued by a breakdown between the Democratic and Republican parties, in which victory has inevitably led to defeat and vice versa. Both parties have lost sight of the people at the center of the American electorate, leading to polarization and paralysis. In Where Have All the Democrats Gone?, John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira reveal the tectonic changes shaping the country’s current political landscape that both pundits and political scientists have missed. The Democratic Party, once the preserve of small towns as well as big cities and of the industrial working class and the newly immigrated, has abandoned and even actively alienated many of these voters. In this clarion call and essential argument for common sense and common ground, Judis and Teixeira reveal the transformation of American politics and provide a razor-sharp critique of where the Democrats have gone awry and how they can avoid political disaster in the days ahead.

Where Have All the Senior Women Gone?

Where Have All the Senior Women Gone?
Author: Ines Wichert
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2011-09-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0230354254

Essential career guidance for corporate women with talent and ambition and advice for HR leaders on managing a diverse workforce; it sets out nine job assignments that every woman should have on her CV in order to lay the way for promotion and progression and insights into the lessons learned by the top senior women (and men) in business.