Recently, the heterogeneity of workers has been documented and emphasized as a very important feature of labor in various economics fields. Labor is one of the key inputs in the production process, and it is quite different from other inputs in that no single worker can be treated the same as...

This paper uses the lens of Social Identity Theory (Ashforth & Mael 1989; Tajfel 1982), frompsychology and organisational psychology literature, and the concept of employer branding (Ambler& Barrow 1996; Ewing et al. 2002) from the marketing discipline, to investigate differing perceptionsof employer...

The wage premiums for firm-level foreign exposure (exporting and foreign ownership) have been well documented in the literature, and their potential sources have been studied in depth. Compensating differentials and efficiency wages are two distinct explanations (with radically different...

This study presents three essays on the evolving competitive environment characterizing the modern retailing industry: (1) the impact of the scope of supermarket services on food prices and demand; (2) the impact of Wal-Mart on retail wages and workers; and (3) the expansion strategy of...

This dissertation investigates some of the ways efficiency wages are important to both the U.S. economy and research in economics. The first section develops a model to investigate the likely effects of the decline of references in the United States. Survey data and anecdotal evidence makes it...

Historically minority workers have been underrepresented in the higher-skilled, higher-paying occupations. Government mandates, such as affirmative action, can, under some conditions, change that circumstance, but market efficiencies are often sacrificed. Though there are efficiency losses in...

This dissertation includes two essays examining issues on the topic of unemployment insurance. Essay one investigates various aspects of unemployment insurance programs in the labor market using a general equilibrium search model calibrated using data from a variety of sources. The multi-sector...

Entrepreneurship has a global impact on the economic growth of local and national economies. This study examines the entrepreneurial process and how it impacts household economic well-being within the different environments of five countries. Secondary survey data from Argentina, India, Russia,...

This dissertation studies economic issues posed by illicit drug testing. The firm's decision to adopt a drug testing program is analyzed in the context of a matching model. Essay one studies the labor market effects of preemployment drug testing. While drug testing enhances productive...

This dissertation includes three essays on employers' search behavior that explore a simple yet central question to the literature on search, i.e., do the costs of continued search affect employers' search behavior and if so what adjustments are employers willing to undergo to avoid a future...