Each month, we select up to ten publications from those that have recently been entered into the Literature Database.

A year ago, there were approximately 7,950 citations in the Literature Database. As of October 2007, we now have over 9,000 citations.

View Sloan Literature Update articles in the Literature Database.

Albelda, R., Boushey, H., Chimienti, E., Ray, R., & Zipperer, B. (2007). Bridging the gaps: A picture of how work supports work in ten states. Boston, MA: Center for Economic and Policy Research. Retrieved on October 24, 2007, from http://www.bridgingthegaps.com/publications/nationalreport.pdf.

This new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research is the result of a multi-year research project and provides information on public work supports in Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Washington, D.C. The 47-page report is available in its entirety at the web address above.

Chang, Y.E., Huston, A.C., Crosby, D.A., & Gennetian, L.A. (2007). The effects of welfare and employment programs on children’s participation in Head Start. Economics of Education Review, 26(1), 17-32.
The authors investigated the effects of ten welfare and employment programs on the use of Head Start by single mothers with three and four year old children. They surveyed between 201 and 945 mothers from each of the ten programs, and followed up with a second survey eighteen to thirty-six months later. Findings indicated that the programs produced overall negative impact on the use of Head Start, which is a free program, despite the fact that the mothers’ employment increased, as well as the use of center- and home-based child care. The authors suggest that the half-day and school calendar schedules of many Head Start programs do not match many mothers’ work schedules.
 

Cheng, T.C. (2007). Impact of work requirements on the psychological well-being of TANF recipients. Health & Social Work, 32(1), 41-48.

This paper uses data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, 1996 panel, to examine psychological distress in parents who were currently or previously receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and those who had never enrolled in the program. Findings demonstrate that TANF users experience poorer psychological well-being than those who do not use the program. Leaving the program did not seem to improve recipients’ distress. Unemployment serves to worsen poor well-being, suggesting that TANF’s work requirement fosters psychological improvement, but recipients need to be able to find employment. The complicated relationship between TANF’s rules and regulations, unemployment, and recipients’ well-being are discussed.
 

Durfree, A. & Meyers, M.K. (2006). Who gets what from government?: Distributional consequences of child-care assistance policies. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(3), 733-748.

This study analyzes the distribution of government child-care assistance in the United States in terms of who are the recipients, how they get the assistance, and to what degree is assistance provided. Using a random sample of New York City families as well as data on public child-care assistance, the authors found that the average amount of assistance was $1,620 per year among all families and $3,980 among families receiving any assistance. Forms of assistance include child care tax credits, child-care subsidies, and public preschool. Families with working mothers and families with a disabled child receive more assistance, while high- and low-income families are equally likely to receive assistance. Reasons for distribution and recommendations for future research are discussed.
 

Edwards, J. & Kalleberg, A.L. (Eds.). (2007). Ending poverty in America: How to restore the American dream. New York: New Press.

Table of contents: Introduction / M. Crain and A. L. Kalleberg -- Confronting poverty and declining opportunity -- Connecting the dots /D. K. Shipler -- Economic mobility in the United States: How much is there and why does it matter? / J. Bernstein -- The vanishing middle class /E. Warren -- The forces undermining the American dream -- The great doubling: The challenge of the new global labor market / R. B. Freeman -- The risky outlook for middle-class America / J. S. Hacker -- Single mothers, fragile families /S. McLanahan -- A new agenda for America’s ghetto poor / W.J. Wilson -- Spurring better jobs and creating higher incomes -- Up and out: When the working poor are poor no more / K.S. Newman -- The earned income tax credit / J.K. Scholz -- Making work pay / B. Shulman -- Education and training for less affluent Americans in the new economy / H. J. Holzer -- Jobs for life / D. Spickard -- Sharing the prosperity: Asset building -- Reducing wealth disparities through asset ownership / M. L. Oliver & T. M. Shapiro -- Banking the poor: Overcoming the financial services mismatch / M. S. Barr -- Assets for all: Toward universal, progressive, lifelong accounts / M. Sherraden -- Making saving easier: The automatic 401(k) and automatic individual retirement account (IRA) / P. Orszag -- An affordable homeownership strategy that promotes savings rather than risk / M. Stegman -- Making homeownership a reality by believing in working-class families / M. Eakes -- The role of the entrepreneur in combating poverty / by Secretary J. F. Kemp -- Strengthening family and community -- Why we should be concerned about young, less educated, black men / R. B. Mincy & H. Pouncy -- A hopeful future: The pathway to helping teens avoid pregnancy and too-soon parenthood / C. M. Cassell -- Public schools: Building capacity for hope and opportunity / D. K. Orthner -- Getting parents and community into the school reform act / H. B. Price -- Top down meets bottom up: Local job creation in rural America / A. Brown-Graham -- Strengthening the rural community / R. Seaman & M. Ferber -- Fighting poverty with equitable development / A.G. Blackwell -- Ending poverty in America / by Senator J. Edwards -- About the editors -- About the contributors -- Index.
 

Global Perspectives - Kahu, E. & Morgan, M. (2007). A critical discourse analysis of New Zealand government policy: Women as mothers and workers. Women’s Studies International Forum, 30(2), 134-146.

The Action Plan for New Zealand Women was developed in 2002 to formalize “the government’s commitment to improving a range of outcomes for women.” It is structured around the themes of economic sustainability, work-life balance, and well-being. The authors examine the Plan and suggest that in spite of the emphasis of the freedom to choose one’s “life path,” paid work is privileged well over caregiving and community involvement, leading the authors to question the Plan’s intentions, suggesting that the policy favors economic growth over women’s well-being.

Tomohara, A. & Lee, H.J. (2007). Did state children’s health insurance program affect married women’s labor supply? Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 28(4), 668-683.

The authors investigate the effect of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) on the work decisions of married women. SCHIP exists to provide health insurance to near poor children who are not eligible for Medicaid. Using data from the March Current Population Survey for the years 1996-2002, the paper compares the decisions of wives who are unlikely to change their work status based on SCHIP with those for whose decisions are potentially affected by SCHIP. Results indicate that on average, SCHIP does not alter wives’ work status, but it was shown to have an effect on “non-white wives…with less than a high school education” and “married women whose oldest child in pre-school age.”

Cobble, D.S. (Ed.). (2007). The sex of class: Women transforming American labor. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.

Table of contents: Increasing class disparities among women and the politics of gender equality / L. McCall -- More than raising the floor: The persistence of gender inequalities in the low-wage labor market / V. Lowell, H. Hartmann, and M. Werschkul -- Two worlds of unionism: Women and the new labor movement / R. Milkman -- The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender challenge to American labor / G. Hunt & M.B. Boris -- Sex discrimination as collective harm / M. Crain -- Changing work, changing people: A conversation with union organizers at Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center / L. Savage -- Unions fight for work and family policies: Not for women only / N. Firestein & N. Dones -- Working women's insurgent consciousness / K. Nussbaum -- "We were the invisible workforce": Unionizing home care / E. Boris & J. Klein -- Expanding labor's vision: The challenges of workfare and welfare organizing / V. Tait -- Worker centers and immigrant women / J. Fine -- Female immigrant workers and the law: Limits and opportunities / M.L. Ontiveros -- Women crossing borders to organize / K. Quan -- Representing informal economy workers: Emerging global strategies and their lessons for North American unions / L. F. Vosko.
 

Perrucci, R., MacDermid, S., King, E., Tang, C.Y., Brimeyer, T., Ramadoss, K., Kiser, S. & J. Swanberg. (2007). The significance of shift work: Current status and future directions. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 28 (4), 600-617.
This literature review synthesizes the research on the effects of shift work on workers’ heath and well-being and family life. The review indicates that shift work has been found to have negative effects on workers’ physical health, the connection between shift work and psychological health is not as clear as that between physical health and shift work, and non-standard shifts negatively effect family life, marital quality, and divorce. An agenda for future research is laid out.

Virick, M., Lilly, J.D., & Casper, W.J. (2007). Doing more with less: An analysis of work life balance among layoff survivors. Career Development International, 12(5), 463-480.

The authors interviewed 510 employees of a large telecommunication company who had survived two waves of layoffs to ascertain the impact of increased work overload on the workers’ work-life balance and life and work satisfaction. Measures included perceived post layoff workload increase, overload, work-life balance, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Findings indicate that these workers experience larger workloads, which contribute to overall role overload, which in turn negatively impacts work-life balance. Suggestions for making layoffs easier on surviving employees are discussed.