Minimum Wages and Poverty: An Evaluation of Policy Alternatives

Book Description

This research investigates the impact of three equal cost alternative labor market policies on the economic well-being of low-income families and society in general at the turn of the 21st century. The principal focus is on how changes in the minimum wage, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and payroll taxes influence the well-being of low-income American families. The methods we employ also reveal how much of the benefits from raising the minimum wage, increasing the EITC, and reducing payroll taxes of workers in low-income families accrue to families in the middle and upper ranges of the income distribution. Thus, we consider the entire distribution, but focus primary attention on families and persons at or near the bottom of the income distribution.

The research reported in this book has three distinguishing features. First, it examines and compares changes in the minimum wage, the EITC, and payroll taxes using a common analytical framework. There is considerable discussion of the impacts of raising the minimum wage and increasing EITC payments. The research reported here places these two policies in an "equivalent social cost" framework and analyzes the distributional consequences of each policy. In addition, we use the same equivalent cost paradigm to investigate an alternative policy that rebates a portion of the payroll taxes paid by workers in low-income families. A second distinguishing feature of the research is that it incorporates important insights from the poverty and income distribution literature into the analysis of labor market policies and family well-being. This literature suggests that any evaluation of success or failure of poverty fighting policies that increase the minimum wage, expand the EITC, or reduce payroll taxes requires that the poor population be properly identified and poverty measured using distribution sensitive measures of poverty and not simple headcounts of the poor. Further, it is important to check for the sensitivity of any conclusions about the policy choices to alternative poverty lines. A third distinguishing feature of the research is that we use important developments in the applied welfare economics of income distribution to address the key question: which policy alternative is best?

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Bring a fresh approach to the bargaining table

Tap the transformative potential of mediation and discover the full promise of the mediation process. In this insightful work, the authors present an alternative theoretical framework that affords a deeper understanding of conflict and mediation -- one based on respect for personal strength and compassion for others. Drawing on their own experience and a wide body of research, they offer mediation practitioners, administrators, policy makers, and researchers a new and useful perspective on how mediation is currently practiced, how it could be structured to accomplish more, and how to refine the process for future application.

Customer Reviews:

Possible paradigm shift.......2007-01-14

Wanting to learn more about mediation and the mechanics of it, I picked up this book; however, that is not what this book was written for. This books was written more as a reconsideration of why we mediate.

Mediation is geared to finding a solution between two parties, and it is used as an alternative to judicial action. The authors point out that mediation can, and should, be about more than just finding a resolution. They point out that aiming for empowerment of the individual parties and their recognition of the other party should be the "transformative" goal.

To illustrate, the authors dissect some mediation sessions and point out what questions could have been asked and what questions shouldn't have been asked. Given the number of sessions this is done (and the lack of sessions where the transformative goal is used), it is hard to tell if this would work. If we use a transformative goal, will mediation be better?

Ideally, I am inclined to agree. Although as an aspiring mediator I would have a problem with not finding a solution, I would have to agree that empowering the parties to work towards a better world is a great aim. However, even if we explain this to the parties? Will they accept a mediation that doesn't work towards a resolution, but rather works towards helping the parties grow as people (with a resolution just being a side note)? I am not so sure.

I would recommend the book to future mediators so that they can see what could happen and hopefully get ideas for making mediation more meaningful.

Transformative Mediation = Transcendental Meditation?.......2005-02-09

If only the world would/could operate under a theory like this!
I understand & appreciate the principles and philosophy in this book, being the constantly optimistic dreamer who believes that we should all start mediating everything, with the possible exception of outright criminal acts. And I will continue to hope and dream of a world like that - one day.
After mediating for 15 years, being one of the leading ADR trainers in the Deep South for the past 10 years, being half-Swedish, half-Creole, evidently always believing in conflict resolution - as a family friend put it "Linda, you came out of the womb mediating," I am so sorry to say that my experience using this style of mediation has not been what is "promised" in this book and what the majority of those that state they use only transformative mediation say (that's not to state it's what they necessarily do). As an example, the REDRESS (United States Postal Service/Office) mediators, who swear that they only practice transformative mediation, say so usually only within the hearing perimeter of the USPS executives and/or their respresentatives - are not pure transformative mediators - and amongst us professional mediators, will clearly state so!!
THE FOLLOWING IS VERY IMPORTANT: Unless the parties in a mediation actually grasp the fact that this is their one and only chance to control the resolution of their conflict, that they will live a better life learning to compromise on positions and stay firm on interests (or principles, as I call them), stop using mediation as a discovery tool, or a way to get out of work for the day, or a weapon to needle someone who upset them but they felt for whatever reason they could not sit down and talk it out, etc. - this type of mediation will rarely work - using only that style, at the very least.
Ironically, I find I use many transcendental mediation techniques in the typically more litigious civil mediations that are set a short period of time prior to trial, or in workplace mediations where someone or everyone can really be fired, i.e. not Civil Service, or in a Divorce-Custody fight that involves educated, working, caring parents who truly do not want to traumatize their children anymore than is necessary, or have waited until their children have grown up and moved, remaining or becoming friends through the process - where I was originally taught that I was supposed to use more directive-facilitative mediation techniques -- and that is mostly in those mediations in which the attorneys - if present, or even if not, but who have tremendous infuence on their client's thinking & behaviours, have actually prepared their clients for what a mediation really is and how to get the most out of it, plus the aforementioned lawyers really believe in mediation themselves and understand how it can help them represent their clients to the fullest & best of their abilities.
In the same instance, if presented with disputants who are not using the mediation as it should be - to work out a problem, resolve it and get on with life, while avoiding a third party from TELLING them what they have to do - which have been the majority of the REDRESS mediations I have participated in, as well as some workplace conflicts and thankfully only a couple of cases going to trial -AND wherein one or more of the attorneys did not understand how fantastic a mediation can be, or were not prepared for it, I have had to pull out the stronger directive mediator role, which I personally do not prefer. Folger and Busch would say this is where transformative mediation works the best - oh, really? Not in the real world, I fear!
As nice as this book is, I believe it gives a beginning or lesser experienced mediator the completely wrong impression as to what the majority of mediations are - negotiated heated discussions, occasionally civilized (?) fights, which are actually training sessions for one or more of the disputants (and their counsel, if involved), teaching them to think outside of their little corner, or position, and consider the relief a conclusion and settlement will bring to their lives if they grasp the beauty and harmony a true mediation brings with its use.
I know almost anyone who knows me will be astonished that I wrote this, for as I said & as is continually pointed out to me, I am the eternal optimist. I have seen mediations settle that no one - except me - thought were even close thereto. I believe that there is always a peace that can be reached once the parties in the conflict realize the benefits of getting past this conflict. BTW, I apply this "fanciful" premise to every type of argument - from neighbours who cannot agree who owns a particular bush to the currently ongoing fiasco in Iran, et al. (FYI: I was brought to write this review in the glow that last night was a fantastic night wherein the Israelis and the Palastinians agreed to start agreeing !! What a dream - at least one that I've had all my life, or at least since I was able to understand that there was a problem over there.) Any thoughtful, intelligent person knows that no amount of bullets or bombs are ever going to make someone reach peace, much less mediate - believe me. In that respect, I guess I do side with this book.
I am also the type of mediator who believes all mediations are the disputants' mediations -not mine, not their attorneys or union representatives, not the bean counters who talley up who has settled the most or least of conflicts - as if that tells one who is the better mediator. For a long time, I was one of the few meditors who believed (and still do) that a mediation can be very successful without a final settlement. My valuation of a mediation is this: if all or most of the differing sides learn something more about their opponents's interests, which later leads to a settlement of even PART of the entire problem; including proceeding to a trial in which these very important facts are part of all those involved psyche - then it has been a very successful mediation.
But that's about as far as I go - which has become too far already. I fear. I'll close as I always do - With Peace to All Always, Linda Liljedahl

What are you doing??????????????.......2001-09-23

This book helped me clarify just what I'm doing as a mediator. The authors show that one's worldview necessarily affects how one mediates. Unawareness of one's assumptions creates the potential to do great harm as a mediator. Our assumption that it's our job to make a settlement happen requires us to behave in a way that is neither neutral nor helpful to the parties. It's too easy to use our litigation tools (such as evaluation, analysis, and persuasion) against both parties in order to further our own agendas. By gaining clarity about what our agenda is, and about what's beyond our jurisdiction, we reduce the harm we do to the parties; and we create more opportunity for the parties to take greater responsibility. The approach described in this book supports parties as they tend to grow from weakness to strength and from selfishness to compassion. I'm grateful to the authors.

Good Introduction on Transformative Mediation.......2001-07-07

A good introduction on Transformative Mediation but just a good "Introduction".

It would have been nicer had the authors discussed more about the skills which can be used in Transformative Mediation.

Nevertheless it is still a rather interesting read.

Settlement is not Always the Goal.......2000-07-15

Most mediators learn a facilitative style of mediation. Many mediators stray to an evaluative style when the going gets tough. This book gives mediators a new way to look at the process and it offers another style that emphasizes the humanity and power of the parties. The authors argue that too much emphasis on settlement can corrupt the mediation process and subvert other important goals of conflict resolution. I have asked every mediator I know to read it.

Transformative Mediation: A New Current in the Mainstream.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: Policy Studies Journal

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Transformative Mediation: A New Current in the Mainstream.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: Policy Studies Journal
Steven C. Etcheson
Manufacturer: Policy Studies Organization
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Policy Studies Journal, published by Policy Studies Organization on June 22, 1999. The length of the article is 2149 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Transformative Mediation: A New Current in the Mainstream.(Review) (book reviews)
Author: Steven C. Etcheson
Publication: Policy Studies Journal (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1999
Publisher: Policy Studies Organization
Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Page: 393

Article Type: Book Review

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The Promise of Mediation : Responding to Conflict Through Empowerment and Recognition (The Jossey-Bass Conflict Resolution Serie

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The Promise of Mediation : Responding to Conflict Through Empowerment and Recognition (The Jossey-Bass Conflict Resolution Serie
Robert A.; Folger, Joseph P. Bush
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LZMTMG

Book Description

The Restless Universe: Applications of Gravitational N-Body Dynamics to Planetary Stellar and Galactic Systems stimulates the cross-fertilization of ideas, methods, and applications among the different communities who work in the gravitational N-body problem arena, across diverse fields of astrophysics. The chapters and topics cover three broad themes: the dynamics of the solar system, the dynamics of galaxies and star clusters, and the large scale structure of the universe. The book is essential reading for scientists and graduate students studying N-body dynamics, from the fundamental techniques to the cutting edge of modern research in planetary, stellar, and galactic systems.

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The chapters in this volume have been written by some of the foremost practictioners in the field and should be of interest to both mechanistic and synthetic chemists.

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The purpose of this book is to help the climatologist understand the basic precepts of the statistician's art and to provide some of the background needed to apply statistical methodology correctly and usefully. The book is self contained: introductory material, standard advanced techniques, and the specialized techniques used specifically by climatologists are all contained within this one source. There are a wealth of real-world examples drawn from the climate literature to demonstrate the need, power and pitfalls of statistical analysis in climate research.

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Climatology is, to a large degree, the study of the statistics of our climate. The powerful tools of mathematical statistics therefore find wide application in climatological research. The purpose of this book is to help the climatologist understand the basic precepts of the statistician's art and to provide some of the background needed to apply statistical methodology correctly and usefully. The book is self contained: introductory material, standard advanced techniques, and the specialised techniques used specifically by climatologists are all contained within this one source. There are a wealth of real-world examples drawn from the climate literature to demonstrate the need, power and pitfalls of statistical analysis in climate research. Suitable for graduate courses on statistics for climatic, atmospheric and oceanic science, this book will also be valuable as a reference source for researchers in climatology, meteorology, atmospheric science, and oceanography.

Climatologists Advise on Global Warming.(Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included): An article from: Energy

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Climatologists Advise on Global Warming.(Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included): An article from: Energy

Manufacturer: Business Communications Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Energy, published by Business Communications Company, Inc. on June 22, 2001. The length of the article is 789 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Climatologists Advise on Global Warming.(Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Publication: Energy (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2001
Publisher: Business Communications Company, Inc.
Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Page: 27

Article Type: Brief Article, Statistical Data Included

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A Landsat data collection platform at Devil Canyon site upper Susitna Basin, Alaska: Performance and analysis of data (Special report - Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory)

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A Landsat data collection platform at Devil Canyon site upper Susitna Basin, Alaska: Performance and analysis of data (Special report - Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory)
R. K Haugen
Manufacturer: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006X6794

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To be halved or not to be halved...which is better?

Early Calvino

Missing the point

Knights and viscounts

A Good Intro to Calvino

The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Baron in the Trees

Difficult Loves

The Castle of Crossed Destinies

Cosmicomics

If on a winter's night a traveler

ASIN: 0156659751

Book Description

Two novellas: the first, a parody of medieval knighthood told by a nun; the second, a fantasy about a nobleman bisected into his good and evil halves. “Bravura pieces... executed with brilliance and brio”(Chicago Tribune). Translated by Archibald Colquhoun. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Customer Reviews:

To be halved or not to be halved...which is better?.......2006-12-23

The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount were my first reads of Calvino's. These two novella's in one book made a fine interlude into a long series I have been reading and one in which I needed a break from. As in the Viscount in The Cloven Viscount, the book has two halves...one of which I really enjoyed and the other I only partly enjoyed.

The Nonexistent Knight was superb! I absolutely loved it and found myself laughing out loud in hysterics. It was brilliant! However, I found it difficult to get into TCV. It didn't move as fluidly, didn't catch my attention and wasn't until about halfway through that I began to rather enjoy it and its philosophical underlinings. I highly recommend both, but I didn't feel TCV was at the same caliber as TNK.

Early Calvino.......2006-06-14

I can't share the same enthusiasm for these tales as so many other reviewers have expressed. These stories are only hints of the brilliance Calvino exhibits in his later tales. The two parable-like novellas are based on far-fetched premises (a Calvino trademark) -- the first an empty suit of armor that acts as the exemplary knight out of sheer will power; the second a viscount halved in combat into two surviving entities. It is fun to ponder the implications of these stories, particularly the story of the perfect knight who is physically non-existent but coheres through act of will, yet who lacks whatever it is that we call humanity. The Cloven Viscount is a more mundane and predictable tale that employs the old good-evil, id-ego, left-brain-right-brain paradigm. These stories offer an interesting glimpse into the developing genius that manifests itself more fully and artfully in Baron in the Trees, Cosmicomics, and Invisible Cities.

Missing the point.......2005-03-20

I've long meant to give Calvino a try as his name is always mentioned in the company of other magic realists and fabulists that I like. I decided on this one simply because I found a nice copy used. Unfortunately, I didn't like it very much and I wonder if I just got the wrong book to give Calvino a fair try.

This is two novellas that showcase why he's considered a magic realist, and they do meet at least my definition of that term. In "The Nonexistent Knight," the titular character Agilulf is indeed an empty suit of armor which even Charlemagne finds off-putting rather than unusual. After setting up that the Knight is about the most perfect of the paladins (so much so that his fellow paladins dread him), a meal discussion reveals that the incident on which his knighthood is based might be false, thus leading him on a quest to discover the virgin whom he rescued many years ago. A couple of other characters--including a Red Sonja-type maid who yearns for the knight because he is perfect in every respect but physicality--and a strange nun narrator who keeps inserting her voice add some side-trips to this search, but it's a strange fairy-tale that wraps up in the end but still leaves you wondering what it was all about.

"The Cloven Viscount" is even stranger, about a lord who was severed in half (down the middle) and in which each half survives, yet one side is all bad and the other is all good. The fact that I can't keep a bad Star Trek episode out of my mind the entire time I'm reading this is not a recommendation. More so than the first novella, I couldn't see what the point was. With both of these, it could be that it was simply lost in translation, or that I just wasn't open to the wonders of the stories.

I'd be willing to give Calvino another try, although I think I may ask around for recommendations before picking up the next book.

Knights and viscounts.......2005-02-14

Magical realism was never more magic than when Italo Calvino wrote it. While the two novellas "The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount" are early work, his quirky satire and strange fantasy are in fine form here. The best description of Calvino's writing is: fairy tales for adults, which are smart and funny at the same time.

"The Nonexistant Knight" opens with Charlemagne and his army preparing for a massive battle -- except that one knight named Agilulf is, technically, nonexistant. Okay, he's the very image of honor and chivalry, but he's also a walking empty suit of white armor. For some reason, Charlemagne doesn't seem disturbed by this.

Fortunately, Agilulf is able to do his job despite not existing; Calvino's meditations on this are outstanding. Because of his ultra-perfection, Agilulf ends up attracting a naive young soldier, a feisty warrior woman, and an odd young knight who is looking for the Order of the Holy Grail. A Shakespearean tangle of sorts emerges before things start to sort themselves out...

"The Cloven Viscount" is a simpler work: A viscount is hit by a Turkish cannonball that somehow splits him in half. Surprisingly, he's not dead -- they're able to save the right half of his body. But when the right half goes home, it becomes increasingly clear that it only has half the personality as well. And unfortunately, it's the evil half.

As the various peasants try to deal with the viscount's vicious acts, the left half shows up as well. As it happens, the left half is the good half. He's also, despite his goody-goody personality, as much of a menace as the evil side. Can the two halves somehow get back into a whole man, or will they drive everyone else nuts?

Italo Calvino's work is always a bit whimsical, but there is actual substance under the whimsy. For example, Agilulf is rigidly devoted to protocol and form, because he has nothing inside him. I'm pretty sure every person has met someone like Agilulf. Or, for that matter, glimpsed the two halves that lie inside every human being.

Don't think it's all stuffy philosophy, though. One of Calvino's greatest talents was to make a hugely entertaining story that never became preachy, only funny. While the subtext of "Viscount" is obvious, "Knight" is a sort of satire on medieval chivalry tales. And that is where Calvino excels; "Viscount," while good, is a bit heavy-handed in places. But his macabre, slightly strange sense of humor keeps it from being goofy or preachy.

His writing is formal, clear and evocative and starkly pretty, with only some key details. But it is peppered with funny lines and undignified characters. One of the best lines of "Knight" is at the beginning, where Charlemagne comments (entirely seriously), "Well, for someone who doesn't exist, you seem in fine form."

Calvino's offbeat parables and satires are always excellent, and his early pair of novellas are no exception. Funny, strange and thought-provoking, these are a pair of modern classics.

A Good Intro to Calvino.......2005-01-22

This book by Calvino is certainly more conventional than something like "Cosmicomics," yet I found myself enjoying it more. Perhaps it's the feeling of flow a more developed plot brings or maybe it's just taken this long to get into Calvino's idiom. Even here, I found myself getting more into "The Cloven Viscount" than the
"Nonexistent Knight." Whether that's because I finally got into Calvino's writing style or one story is better than the other remains to be seen.

"Knight" is a cool fable in any case. Its satire, however, can be slightly off putting. For example, the first time we meet the female protagonist, she's peeing in a lake! Not a great first impression - but Calvino must have meant for that to be the case. Perhaps it's a joke or satire of courtly love. The ending "revelation" doesn't seem to have the impact I think Calvino meant it to have. However, in retrospect it makes sense. I do, however, love the character of "Agilulf" or perhaps "A Gulf" or emptiness, too. It's interesting to contrast him with the Good Un of the following novella.

"Viscount" was more enjoyable, though. I like its violence and thoughtfulness. One would expect one's sympathies to be with good in a good vs. evil fight. However, Calvino shows how even good is half of a whole. Moreover, it's fascinating how much easier it is to understand evil than good. Such themes and vital imagery make this a visceral and intelligent story.

Fables all, but good ones. A great place to start reading Calvino. Perhaps the rest of his work will make more sense after this introduction.

The nonexistent knight & The cloven viscount;: Two short novels

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The nonexistent knight & The cloven viscount;: Two short novels
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006AXOD4

The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount

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The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OJW3YS

The Nonexistent Knight & the Cloven Viscount

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The Nonexistent Knight & the Cloven Viscount

Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000E3XNTI

Product Description

His fourth book.

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THE NONEXISTENT KNIGHT & THE CLOVEN VISCOUNT : Two Short Novels.
Italo; Colquhoun, Archibald (translator). Calvino
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000W8WQGG

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