Evans School Faculty Research Seminar: Ken Couch
July 12, 2010
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dean's Conference Room
The Evans School Faculty Research Seminar Series presents Ken Couch (Associate Professor of Economics, University of Connecticut) on "Earnings Losses of Displaced Workers in Connecticut: An Analysis Using Administrative Records."
Abstract: Earnings losses of Connecticut workers affected by mass layoff are calculated using state level administrative data. Estimated reductions in earnings are initially more than 30% and six years later, as much as 15%. The Connecticut estimates are smaller than comparable ones from Pennsylvania administrative data but similar to those from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and Displaced Worker Supplements to the Current Population Survey. Earnings reductions in Connecticut and Pennsylvania are concentrated among UI recipients. An unusually high proportion of UI beneficiaries in Pennsylvania explains the larger estimated losses relative to other studies. The study also examines differential earnings losses across the business cycle. The results indicate that workers displaced during a period of sustained growth have negligible earnings losses while those who lose jobs during recessions experience substantial sustained reductions in their earnings.
Bio: Kenneth A. Couch is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Connecticut and an Affiliated Faculty Member of the Public Policy Program. He received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1992 from the University of Wisconsin. Ken’s research focuses on disadvantaged groups in the labor market and programs to assist them both in the U.S. and internationally. His work has examined impacts of workfare programs, minimum wage legislation, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and discrimination in employment and pay. Couch has also done extensive research on issues related to poverty measurement, economic inequality and inter- and intra-generational mobility. His current work focuses on impacts of job displacement and program evaluation methodologies. His research has been published in leading journals including the American Economic Review, the Journal of Labor Economics, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, the Journal of Human Resources, and Demography. Past positions include time spent at the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin, the Center for Policy Research in the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, and at the Urban Institute. Ken is currently Editor of the Point/Counterpoint and Professional Practice sections of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
For more information about this event, please contact Katie Ward via email or by phone at 206.616.4090.
Additional information may be available online.
This event is open to: students, faculty, staff.