Jenny Rae Hawkins, Ph.D. – Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics. at Case Western Reserve University

Dear Colleagues:

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development reports that:

* “However, there are concerns that part-time and temporary work are contributing to inequality and poverty.”

Part-time and temporary work accounts for about 1/3 of jobs in OECD countries, but a larger share of new jobs. Why is this happening? What are the consequences? We may look at the issue in terms of how labor markets operate and changes in the most efficient forms of industrial organization. We may ask about what workers themselves want – perhaps, in the words of the 2012 Republican platform, today’s “independent” workforce “wants flexibility in working conditions.” We may ask how new patterns evade old regulations and standards about, for example, compensation for overtime. And we may consider whether the new patterns raise issues that public policy can and should address.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Jenny Hawkins (Ph.D., 2011, The University of Arizona) investigates topics in industrial organization and the economic analysis of law. Her current research spans several areas. One project concerns monopoly behavior and the assembly of property rights. Jenny also is evaluating niche and mass market advertising strategies through rotations, as opposed to shifts, in demand curves. Other work applies models of Bayesian statistics to event studies used in securities litigation and antitrust investigations. Finally, she is eager to continue work on a project investigating antitrust enforcement during the 1930s. Jenny currently teaches courses on the economic analysis of law and principles of economics.

Where We Meet

The Friday Public Affairs Lunch convenes each Friday when classes are in session, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Our programs are open to all and no registration is required. This week we meet in the Zverina Room, Dittrick Medical History Museum on the 3rd Floor of the Allen Medical Library. That building is located on the southeast corner of Adelbert Road and Euclid Avenue. Enter the building on Adelbert Road and go down the corridor on the left and up the elevator at the end of the hall to the third floor. When you exit the elevator, go slightly right and down the hall; the first and second doors on your left will take you into the museum display area, which you walk through to the Zverina Room.

Parking Possibilities

The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. There is an entrance to Severance Hall to the right of the East Blvd. parking entrance as you drive in. You can go up the escalator and then down the hallway to the Reinberger lobby. The exit door there is across Euclid from the Allen library.

Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

November 6: A Year Away from the 2016 Election…. With Paul Herrnson, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut.

November 13: Why Virtual Schools are Growing So Fast, and What it Might Mean for the Future of Public Education. With Peter Robertson, Senior Vice President of School Operations, Connections Education.

November 20: Integrating the Inner City Through Mixed-Income Development. With Mark Joseph, Associate Professor at MSASS and Director, National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities; Taryn Gross, Program Manager for the Initiative, and Emily Miller, Project Coordinator for the Initiative. Co-sponsored with the Schubert Center for Child Studies. ***Alternate Location: Mandel Community Studies Center Room 115, 11402 Bellflower Road***

November 27: Thanksgiving Break

December 4: Making Clean Energy Work. With Walter Money, Whole House Energy Solutions.