Knowledge that Transforms

Paul Goren of Spencer Foundation reviews “The True Genius of America at Risk: Are We Losing Our Public Universities to De Facto Privatization?” by Katharine C. Lyall, Kathleen R. Sell,. The EconLit Abstract of the reviewed work begins “Explores public higher education finance at the beginning of the twenty-first century, focusing on the privatization of America's public universities. Sets the economic and administrative context of contemporary public higher education in the United States. Outlines the current dialogue among university presidents, scholars, and policy analysts about the future of American public higher education. Offers empirical evidence of the beginnings of de facto privatization in the United States and internationally. Describes a set of possible scenarios that could be used to reformulate public higher education in the United States if states remain minority shareholders. Discusses the ways in which state budgeting and revenue practices could be reformed to dampen the cycles of boom and bust. Proposes a new model for a public purpose university. Lyall is President Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin System and Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Sell is Senior Lecturer in the Integrated Liberal Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Bibliography; index.”

Robert I. Lerman of American University and Urban Institute reviews “Working and Poor: How Economic and Policy Changes Are Affecting Low-Wage Workers” by Rebecca M. Blank, Sheldon H. Danziger, Robert F. Schoeni,. The EconLit Abstract of the reviewed work begins “Fourteen papers examine how economic and policy changes over the last twenty-five years have affected the well-being of low-wage workers and their families. Papers discuss exploring gender differences in employment and wage trends among less-skilled workers; wage trends among disadvantaged minorities; the macroeconomy and determinants of the earnings of less-skilled workers; the impact of technological change on low-wage workers--a review; the changing pattern of wage growth for low-skilled workers; the level and composition of consumption over the business cycle--the role of “quasi-fixed” expenditures; recent trends in resource sharing among the poor; economic conditions and children's living arrangements; how tax policies affect low-income workers; state spending on social assistance programs over the business cycle; temporary agency employment as a way out of poverty; child support and the economy; unemployment insurance over the business cycle--whether it meets the needs of less-skilled workers; and how health insurance is affected by the economy--public and private coverage among low-skilled adults in the 1990s. Blank is Codirector of the National Poverty Center and Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Henry Carter Adams Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, and Professor of Economics at the University of… Index.”

John J. Siegfried of Vanderbilt University reviews “The Economic Naturalist: In Search of Explanations for Everyday Enigmas” by Robert H. Frank,. The EconLit Abstract of the reviewed work begins “Utilizes economic terms to answer questions about everyday oddities, in order to reveal how economic principles really operate. Discusses rectangular milk cartons and cylindrical soda cans--the economics of product design; free peanuts and expensive batteries--supply and demand in action; why equally talented workers often earn different salaries and other mysteries of the world of work; why some buyers pay more than others--the economics of discount pricing; arms races and the tragedy of the commons; the myth of ownership; decoding marketplace signals; the economic naturalist hits the road; psychology meets economics; the informal market for personal relationships; and two originals. Frank is Henrietta Louis Johnson Professor of Management and Professor of Economics at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. Index.”