RONALD GORDON EHRENBERG



Vice-President for Academic Programs, Planning and Budgeting
Cornell University (435 Day Hall)
Ithaca, NY 14853-2801 Ithaca, NY 14853-3901
607-255-3062
Fax: 607-255-2990

Irving M. Ives Professor of Industrial & Labor Relations
Cornell University (256 Ives Hall)
607-255-3026
Fax: 607-255-7774

E-mail: RGE2@CORNELL.EDU

Born April 20, 1946
U.S. Citizen

FIELDS OF SPECIALIZATION

Primary: Theory and Empirical Analysis of Labor Markets, Human Resource Problems, Evaluation of Social Programs, Analysis of Educational Issues, Analysis of Compensation Policies

Secondary: Applied Economic Theory and Policy, Applied Econometrics

GRADUATE STUDIES

Northwestern University, Department of Economics

PRE-DOCTORAL STUDIES

B.A. (cum laude), Mathematics, Harpur College, SUNY at Binghamton, 6/66

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

American Economic Association
American Educational Research Association
Econometric Society
American Education Finance Association
Industrial Relations Research Association

REGULAR ACADEMIC POSITIONS AND HONORS

RECENT COURSES TAUGHT

Labor Market Analysis, Evaluation of Social Programs, Economic Analysis of the University, Economic Security (UI Module)

COMPLETED RESEARCH

Journal Articles and Chapters in Books:

  1. "Absenteeism and the Overtime Decision," American Economic Review, June 1970.

  2. "Heterogeneous Labor, the Internal Labor Market, and the Dynamics of the Employment-Hours Decision," Journal of Economic Theory, March 1971.

  3. "The Impact of the Overtime Premium on Employment and Hours in U.S. Industry," Western Economic Journal, June 1971.

  4. "Relative Wages, Incremental Budgeting and the Demand for State and Local Government Employees," American Economic Review, June 1973.

  5. "Organizational Control and the Economic Efficiency of Hospitals: The Production of Nursing Services," Journal of Human Resources, Winter 1974.

  6. "Municipal Government Structure, Unionization, and the Wages of Fire Fighters," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, October 1973.

  7. "Heterogeneous Labor, Minimum Hiring Standards and Job Vacancies in Public Employment," Journal of Political Economy, November-December 1973.

  8. "The Demand for Labor in the Public Sector" (with Orley Ashenfelter). In D. Hamermesh, ed., Labor in the Public and Non-Profit Sectors, Princeton University Press), 1975.

  9. "Household Allocation of Time and Church Attendance" (with C. Azzi), Journal of Political Economy, February 1975.

  10. "A Model of Public Sector Wage Determination" (with G. Goldstein), Journal of Urban Economics, June 1975.

  11. "Executive Compensation in Municipalities" (with G. Goldstein), Southern Economic Journal, July 1976.

  12. "The Impact of the Win 2 Program on Welfare Costs and Recipient Rates" (with J. Hewlett), Journal of Human Resources, Spring 1976.

  13. "Impact of Unemployment Insurance on the Duration of Unemployment and Post-Unemployment Wage" (with R. Oaxaca), Proceedings of the Twenty-Eighth Annual Winter Meetings of the Industrial Relations Research Association (excerpted in the March 1976, Monthly Labor Review), reprinted in J. Crawford, ed., Readings in Modern Economics.

  14. "Unemployment Insurance, Duration of Unemployment, and Subsequent Wage Gains" (with R. Oaxaca), American Economic Review, December 1976.

  15. "Officer Compensation and Performance in Local Building Trade Unions" (with S. Goldberg), Industrial and Labor Relations Review, January 1977.

  16. "Household Allocation of Time and Religiosity: Replication and Extension," Journal of Political Economy, April 1977.

  17. "The Impact of Win 2: Reply," Journal of Human Resources, Summer 1977.

  18. "Has Labor Economics Been Useful?" (with D. Hamermesh and G. Johnson), Industrial and Labor Relations Review, October 1977.

  19. "The Costs of Defined Benefit Plans and Firm Adjustments" (with B. Barnow), Quarterly Journal of Economics, November 1979.

  20. Retirement Policies, Employment and Unemployment," American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings, May 1979. (Reprinted in Ernst W. Stromsdorfer, ed., Evaluation Studies Review Annual, Vol. 5, Sage Publications, 1980.

  21. "Who Pays for Pensions in the State and Local Sector: Workers or Employers? (with R. Smith), Proceedings of the Thirty-Second Annual Meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, 1980.

  22. "The Impact of Retirement Policies on Employment and Unemployment" in Paul Burgess and Jerry Kingston, eds., High Employment: Problems and Solutions (Tempe: Arizona State University Press, 1979).

  23. "Correlates of Underfunding of Public Sector Retirement Systems." Economic Inquiry, July 1980.

  24. "Minimum Wage Legislation and the Educational Outcomes of Youth" (with Alan Marcus), Research in Labor Economics, Vol. 3, 1980.

  25. "A Framework for Evaluating State and Local Government Pension Reform" in Peter Mieszkowski and George Peterson, eds., Public Sector Labor Markets, Vol. 4 of the COUPE Papers on Public Economics (Urban Institute, Washington, DC, 1980).

  26. "The Demographic Structure of Unemployment Rates and Labor Market Transition Probabilities," Research in Labor Economics, Vol. 3, 1980.

  27. "Retirement System Characteristics and Compensating Wage Differentials in the Public Sector," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, July 1980.

  28. "Estimating the Narcotic Effects of Public Sector Impasse Procedures" (with R. Butler), Industrial and Labor Relations Review, October 1981.

  29. "The Overtime Pay Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act" (with P. Schumann) in Simon Rottenberg, ed., Economics of Legal Minimum Wage (American Enterprise Institute, 1981).

  30. "Minimum Wages and Teenagers' Enrollment and Employment Outcomes: A Multinomial Logit Model" (with A. Marcus), Journal of Human Resources, Winter 1982.

  31. "The Effect of Unions on Productivity in the Public Sector: The Case of Municipal Libraries" (with J. Schwarz) in Werner Hirsch and Anthony Rufolo, eds., The Economics of Municipal Labor Markets (1982).

  32. "Compliance With the Overtime Pay Premium" (with P. Schumann), Journal of Law and Economics, April 1982.

  33. "Estimating Wage-Fringe Trade-Offs: Some Data Problems (with R. Smith), in J. Triplett, ed., The Measurement of Labor Costs (University of Chicago Press, 1983).

  34. "Unions and Productivity in the Public Sector: A Study of Municipal Libraries" (with D. Sherman and J. Schwarz), Industrial and Labor Relations Review, January 1983.

  35. "Cost of Living Adjustment Clauses in Union Contracts: A Summary of Results" (with L. Danziger and G. San), Journal of Labor Economics, July 1983.

  36. "Cost-of-Living Adjustment Clauses in Union Contracts" (with L. Danziger and G. San), Research in Labor Economics, Vol. 6, 1984.

  37. "Optimal Financial Aid Policies for a Selective University" (with D. Sherman), Journal of Human Resources, Spring 1984.

  38. "Economic and Statistical Analysis of Discrimination in Hiring" (with R. Smith), Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, 1984.

  39. "Compensating Wage Differentials for Mandatory Overtime" (with P. Schumann), Economic Inquiry, October 1984.

  40. "The Social Security Student Benefit Program and Family Decisions" (with R. Luzadis), Economics of Education Review, May 1986.

  41. "Public Sector Labor Market" (with J. Schwarz), in 0. Ashenfelter and R. Layard, eds., Handbook of Labor Economics (North Holland, 1987).

  42. "Comparable Worth in the Public Sector" (with R. Smith), in David Wise, ed., Public Sector Payrolls (University of Chicago Press, 1987).

  43. "Effects of In-College Employment on Academic Achievement and Post-College Outcomes: A Summary of Results" (with D. Sherman), Journal of Human Resources, Winter 1987.

  44. "Workers' Rights: Rethinking Protective Labor Legislation", Research in Labor Economics, Vol. 8, Part B, 1986). A slightly revised version was published in D. Lee Bawden and F. Skidmore, eds., Rethinking Employment Policy (Urban Institute Press, 1989).

  45. "Comparable Worth Wage Adjustments and Female Employment in the Public Sector," (with R. Smith) Journal of Labor Economics, January 1987.

  46. "On Estimating the Effects of Increased Aid to Education" (with R. Chaykowski), in R. Freeman and C. Ichniowski, eds., The Public Sector Look of American Unions (University of Chicago Press, 1988).

  47. "Part-Time Employment in the United States" (with P. Rosenberg and J. Li), in R. Hart, ed., Employment, Unemployment, and Labor Utilization (Winchester, MA: Unwin Hyman, 1988).

  48. "Compensation and Firm Performance" (with G. Milkovich), in M. Kleiner, et al., eds., Human Resources and the Performance of Firms (Madison, WI: IRRA, 1987).

  49. "On Overtime Hours Legislation," Proceedings of a Symposium on Hours of Work and Overtime: Labour Market Issues (Background Report to the Ontario Task Force on Hours of Work and Overtime, Toronto; Queens Printer, September 1987).

  50. "Are School Superintendents Rewarded for Performance?" (with R. Chaykowski and R. A. Ehrenberg) in D. Monk, ed., Micro Level School Finance: Issues and Implications for Policy (1988 American Educational Finance Association Yearbook, 1988).

  51. "Determinants of the Compensation and Mobility of School Superintendents" (with R. Chaykowski and R. A. Ehrenberg), Industrial and Labor Relations Review, April 1988.

  52. "Workers' Compensation, Wages and the Risk of Injury," in J. Burton, ed., New Perspectives on Workers' Compensation (Ithaca, NY: ILR Press, 1988).

  53. "Econometric Analyses of the Empirical Consequences of Comparable Worth: What Have We Learned?" in A. Hill and M. Killingsworth, eds., Comparable Worth Analyses and Evidence (ILR Press, 1989).

  54. "Advance Notice Provisions in Plant Closing Legislation: Do They Matter? (with G. Jakubson), Industrial Relations, Winter 1989.

  55. "An Economic Analysis of the Market for Law School Students," Journal of Legal Education 35, No. 5, 1989.

  56. "The Incentive Effects of Tournaments Revisited: Evidence From the European PGA Tour" (with M. Bognanno), Industrial and Labor Relations Review, February 1990.

  57. "Why WARN?" (with G. Jakubson), Regulation, Summer 1990.

  58. "Do Tournaments Have Incentive Effects?" (with M. Bognanno), Journal of Political Economy, December 1990.

  59. "School District Leave Policies, Teacher Absenteeism, and Student Achievement" (with R.A. Ehrenberg, D. Rees, and E. Ehrenberg), Journal of Human Resources, Winter 1991.

  60. "Faculty Turnover at American Colleges and Universities" (with H. Kasper and D. Rees), Economics of Education Review vol. 10, no. 2 (1991).

  61. "Academic Labor Supply" in C. Clotfelter, R. Ehrenberg, M. Getz, and J. Siegfried, Economic Challenges in Higher Education (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1991).

  62. "The Flow of New Doctorates," Journal of Economic Literature 30 (June 1992).

  63. "How Would Universities Respond to Increased Federal Support for Graduate Students" (with D. Rees and D. Brewer), in C. Clotfelter and M. Rothschild, Eds., Studies of Supply and Demand in Higher Education (University of Chicago Press, 1993).

  64. "Why WARN?" The Impact of Recent Plant Closing and Layoff Prenotification Legislation in the United States" (with G. Jakubson) in C. Buechtemann, ed., Employment Security and Labor Market Behavior: Interdisciplinary Approaches and International Evidence (Ithaca, NY: ILR Press, 1993).

  65. "Institutional Responses to Increased External Support for Graduate Students" (with D. Rees and D. Brewer), Review of Economics and Statistics (November 1993).

  66. "What Price Diversity? The Death of Need-Based Financial Aid at Selective Private Colleges?" (with S. Murphy), Change, July/August 1993.

  67. "Do School and Teacher Characteristics Matter? Evidence From High School and Beyond (with D. Brewer) Economics of Education Review 13, No. 1 (1994).

  68. "Do Historically Black Institutions of Higher Education Confer Unique Advantages on Black Students: An Initial Analysis" (with D. Rothstein), in R. Ehrenberg, ed., Choices and Consequences: Contemporary Policy Issues in Education (Ithaca, NY: ILR Press, 1994).

  69. "Did Teachers' Verbal Ability and Race Matter in the 1960's?: Coleman Revisited" (with D. Brewer), Economics of Education Review 14, No. 1 (March 1995).

  70. "Do Teachers' Race, Gender and Ethnicity Matter?: Evidence From NELS88" (with D. Goldhaber and D. Brewer), Industrial and Labor Relations Review 48 (April 1995).

  71. "Do Doctoral Students' Financial Support Patterns Affect Their Times to Degree and Completion Probabilities?" (with P. Mavros), Journal of Human Resources (July 1995).

  72. "Does It Pay to Attend an Elite Private College?" (with D. Brewer) (mimeo, June 1995), forthcoming in Research in Labor Economics.

  73. "The 1995 NRC Ratings of Doctoral Programs: A Hedonic Model" (with P. Hurst), Change (May/June 1996).

  74. "The American Research University: National Treasure or Endangered Species?: An Overview" in R. Ehrenberg, ed., The American Research University: National Treasure or Endangered Species? (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1996).

Books and Book-Length Final Reports:

  1. Fringe Benefits and Overtime Behavior: Theory and Econometric Analysis (Lexington Books, D. C. Heath, 1971), 162 pages.

  2. The Demand for State and Local Government Employees: An Economic Analysis (Lexington Books, D. C. Heath, 1972, 146 pages.

  3. An Economic Analysis of Local Government Employment and Wages (Final Report submitted to U.S. Department of Labor, 216 pages, December 1973).

  4. The Economic Effects of Unemployment Insurance on Unemployed Workers' Job Search (Final Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor, 103 pages, June 1976).

  5. An Evaluation of Impasse Procedures for Police and Firefighters in New York State (Final Report submitted to the National Science Foundation, February 1977, 502 pages, by T. Kochan, R. Ehrenberg, J. Baderschneider, T. Jick and M. Mironi), revised version published as a monograph by the American Arbitration Association under the title, Dispute Resolution Under Fact-Finding and Arbitration: An Empirical Analysis (New York, 1979).

  6. The Distribution of Unemployment Insurance Benefits and Costs with R. Hutchens and R. Smith. Printed as U.S. Department of Labor, Technical Analysis Paper No. 58 (Washington, DC: GPO, October 1978).

  7. The Regulatory Process and Labor Earnings (Academic Press, September 1979). (Selected as one of the 17 outstanding books in industrial relations and labor economics during the 1970-79 period by the Princeton University Industrial Relations Section.)

  8. Longer Hours or More Jobs? (with P. Schumann) (NYSSILR Publications Division, 1982). An abbreviated early version appeared as "The Overtime Pay Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act" in Report of the Minimum Wage Study Commission, Vol. 3 (U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, June 1971), pp. 149-235. (Selected by Choice as one of the outstanding academic books published in 1982 and by the Princeton University Industrial Relations Section as one of the ten outstanding books in labor economics and industrial relations published in 1982.)

  9. Modern Labor Economics: Theory and Public Policy (with R. Smith) (Scott, Foresman, 1982) (2nd edition, 1985) (3rd edition, 1988) (4th edition, Harper Collins, 1991) (5th edition, 1994).

  10. Labor Economics and Labor Relations (with R. Flanagan and R. Smith) (Scott, Foresman, 1984).

  11. Advance Notice Provisions in Plant Closing Legislation (with G. Jakubson) (Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 1988).

  12. Economics of the Employment Relationship (with R. Flanagan, L. Kahn. and R. Smith) (Scott, Foresman, 1989).

  13. Do Compensation Policies Matter? (Ed.) (ILR Press, 1990).

  14. Economic Challenges in Higher Education (with C. Clotfelter, M. Getz, and J. Siegfried) (University of Chicago Press, 1991). (Selected by the Princeton University Industrial Relations Section as one of the outstanding books in labor economics and industrial relations published in 1992.)

  15. Labor Markets and Integrating National Economies (Brookings Institution, 1994). (Selected by the Princeton University Industrial Relations Section as one of the outstanding books in labor economics and industrial relations published in 1994.)

  16. Choices and Consequences: Contemporary Policy Issues in Education (Ed.) (Ithaca, NY: ILR Press, 1994). (Selected by the Princeton University Industrial Relations Section as one of the outstanding books in labor economics and industrial relations published in 1994.)

  17. The American Research University: National Treasure or Endangered Species? (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1996) (forthcoming).

Miscellaneous - Published Reviews and Comments, Unpublished Papers, Papers Submitted for Publication, etc.:

  1. "The Economic Impact of Davis-Bacon Type Legislation: An Econometric Investigation" (mimeo, 1971). This paper is extensively summarized in J. Gould, Davis-Bacon Act: The Economics of Prevailing Wage Laws (1971).

  2. "Using Estimates of Income and Substitution Parameters to Predict the Work Incentive Effects of Various Income Maintenance Programs: A Brief Exposition and Partial Survey of Literature" (with 0. Ashenfelter), Technical Analysis Paper No. 2, Office of Evaluation, Office of Assistant Secretary for Policy, Evaluation and Research, U.S. Department of Labor, June 1973.

  3. Review of 0. Ashenfelter and A. Rees, eds., Discrimination in Labor Markets (Princeton University Press, 1973), Journal of Political Economy (September/October 1974).

  4. "Some Reflections on Evaluating OSHA's Performance" (paper delivered at a conference on "Evaluating the Effects of the Occupational Safety and Health Program," March 1975).

  5. Review of A. Thieblot, Jr., The Davis-Bacon Act (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1975), Journal of Business (July 1976).

  6. "An Evaluation of Two Evaluations" (Paper delivered at a conference on "Evaluating Manpower Training Programs," Princeton University, May 1976), Research in Labor Economics, Vol. 1, Supplement, 1979.

  7. "Are the Current Levels of Wages of New York Telephone Employees Just and Reasonable?" (mimeo, May 1977).

  8. "State Utility Regulation and Labor Earnings" (paper presented to the Econometric Society Meetings, December 1977).

  9. "The Economics of the Decision to Join a Union: Comment," Journal of Labor Research, Fall 1980.

  10. "An Agenda for Evaluations of the Productivity and Effectiveness of the U.S. Employment Service" (mimeo, September 1978).

  11. "Evaluation Research and National Social Policy: An Academic Practitioner's Perspective" in A. Grinols (ed.), Critical Thinking: Reading Across the Curriculum (Cornell University Press, 1984).

  12. Review of 0. Ashenfelter and W. Oates, Essays in Labor Market Analysis (Halstead Press, 1977), Industrial and Labor Relations Review, April 1979.

  13. "The Effect of Tax Limitation Legislation on Public Sector Labor Markets: A Comment," National Tax Journal, June 1979.

  14. "Labor Market Data Needs Relating to Antidiscrimination Activity: Comment" in National Commission on Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Counting the Labor Force: Concepts and Data Needs (Washington, DC, 1980).

  15. "Work, Income and Retirement: Comment" in U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Work, Income and Retirement (Washington, DC, August 1979).

  16. "Dead End Jobs and Youth Unemployment: Discussion" in R. Freeman and D. Wise, eds., The Youth Labor Market Problem: Its Nature, Causes and Consequences (University of Chicago Press, 1982).

  17. "The Demographic Structure of Unemployment Rates and Labor Market Transition Probabilities: Empirical Evidence" (paper prepared for the National Commission for Employment Policy, August 1979), 105 pages.

  18. "Who Pays for Pension Reform?" (with R. Smith) (December 1980), prepared for the President's Commission on Pension Policy.

  19. "Comments on E. G. West and R. J. Staaf," Public Choice 36, 1981, pp. 641-645.

  20. Review of B. Fleisher, Minimum Wage Regulation in the United States (National Chamber Foundation, 1983), Industrial and Labor Relations Review, October 1984.

  21. "Black Youth Nonemployment: Duration and Job Search: Comment" in R. Freeman and H. Holzer, eds., The Black Youth Employment Crisis (University of Chicago Press, 1986).

  22. Review of B. Hirsh and J. Addison, The Economic Analysis of Unions (Allen and Unwin, 1986), Industrial and Labor Relations Review, January 1987.

  23. "Merit Pay for School Superintendents?" (with R. Chaykowski and R. A. Ehrenberg) (NBER Working Paper No. 1954, July 1986).

  24. "What is a Benefit?", paper presented at the BLS Conference on Compensation Concepts (Washington, DC, March 1987).

  25. Review of R. Flanagan, Labor Relations and the Litigation Explosion (Brookings Institute, 1987), Journal of Economic Literature, June 1988.

  26. Reviews of H. Nalbantian, ed., Incentives, Cooperation and Risk Sharing (Rowan & Littlefield, 1987) and P. Burgess and J. Kingston, An Incentives Approach to Improving the Unemployment Compensation System (Upjohn Institute, 1987) in Industrial and Labor Relations Review, April 1989.

  27. "Commentary on Women's Pay in Australia, Great Britain and the United States" in R. Michael, H. Hartman and B. O. Farrell, Pay Equity: Empirical Inquiries (National Academy Press, 1989).

  28. Discussion of "Alternative Pay Systems, Firm Performance and Productivity" in A. Blinder, ed. Paying for Productivity: A Look at the Evidence (Brookings, 1990).

  29. Review of W. Bowen and J. Sosa, Prospects for Faculty in the Arts and Sciences (Princeton University Press, 1989) in Journal of Economic Literature, June 1990.

  30. "Do Displaced Workers Suffer Losses of Specific Human Capital: A Comment," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Autumn 1990.

  31. "Economic Perspectives on the Process of Ph.D. Student Enrollment" (paper prepared for the AAU/AGS project for Research on Doctoral Education) (mimeo, November 1991).

  32. Review of W. Bowen and N. Rudenstine, In Pursuit of the Ph.D. (Princeton University Press, 1992) in Journal of Economic Literature, June 1992.

  33. "New Minimum Wage Research Symposium: Introduction," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, October 1992.

  34. "Employment Standards and the Debate Over NAFTA" (mimeo, August 1993).

  35. "Mandated Benefits or Protective Labor Legislation and Social Insurance? A Comment" in L. Solomon and A. Levenson (Eds.), Labor Markets, Employment Policy, and Job Creation (Westview Press, 1994).

  36. Review of Derek Bok, The Cost of Talent (Free Press, 1993), in Journal of Economic Literature, March 1995.

  37. "Would Tenure Probabilities Increase Faculty Salaries?" (with P. Pieper and R. Willis), NBER Working Paper No. 5150, June 1995.

  38. "Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of the Minimum Wage - Review Symposium Instroduction," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, July 1995.

  39. "The 1995 NRC Ratings of Doctoral Programs: A Hedonic Model" (with P. Hurst), NBER Working Paper No. 5523 (April 1996).

  40. "The Socioeconomic Stratification of American Higher Education: Where Are We Heading?" (paper prepared for the Princeton Conference on Higher Education, March 21-23, 1996).

OTHER RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (including visiting positions)

RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

RESEARCH IN PROGRESS