Report Higher Education in California: Strengthening Career Education By Sarah Bohn, Shannon McConville Oct 1, 2019 About 30 percent of California’s future jobs will require some training beyond high school but less than a four-year college degree. Career education prepares students for these “middle-skill” jobs by providing occupation- and industry-specific training.
Occasional Paper, Report California’s Economic Future and Infrastructure Challenges By David Neumark Jun 1, 2005 This Occasional Paper is part of the California 2025 project Technical Report series. The series provides more information on topics discussed in chapters of the project’s major report, California 2025: Taking on the Future (Hanak and Baldassare, eds., PPIC, 2005).
Fact Sheet Income Inequality in California By Tess Thorman, Daniel Payares-Montoya Apr 17, 2024 California’s income gap narrowed in 2022, but the disparity between high and low incomes is wider in California than in most other states. Over the longer term, income inequality has been driven by earnings growth among college-educated workers.
Report Does Broadband Boost Local Economic Development? By Jed Kolko Jan 11, 2010 The federal government and the state of California, as well as other states throughout the nation, have made universal access to broadband service a public policy goal, assuming that multiple economic and social benefits will accrue from increasing broadband access. This study assesses whether policies designed to increase broadband availability—especially to unserved and underserved communities—will contribute to local economic development. It finds a positive relationship between broadband expansion and employment growth, but the benefits for local residents are ambiguous. This report was supported with funding from The David A. Coulter Family Foundation.
California Counts, Report Can California Import Enough College Graduates to Meet Workforce Needs? By Deborah Reed, Hans Johnson May 23, 2007 Economic projections for California indicate a continuation of the trend toward a more highly skilled economy. But projections of educational attainment for the future population tend to predict a wide gap between the levels of skills the population is likely to possess and the level of skills the economy is likely to need. This issue of California Counts assesses whether California will be able to attract enough college graduates from other states and other countries to close that gap. The authors conclude that because of the sheer numbers of migrants required and other factors, it is unlikely that migration alone will solve the problem.
Report Business Location Decisions and Employment Dynamics in California By David Neumark, Jed Kolko Nov 5, 2007 Much recent debate about the state’s economy has focused on the narrow issue of whether California businesses are moving to other states—taking jobs with them. In this report, PPIC researchers Jed Kolko and David Neumark examine the broader patterns of employment dynamics—the ways in which jobs and businesses move into, around, and out of the state— to provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the California economy.
Fact Sheet Poverty in California By Sarah Bohn, Caroline Danielson, Sara Kimberlin, Patricia Malagon Oct 18, 2023 With the end of many pandemic relief programs, poverty rates—especially for children—have gone up in the last two years.
Report Economic Development: The Local Perspective By Max Neiman, Daniel Krimm May 28, 2009 Since Proposition 13 in 1978 restricted property tax income, California’s local governments have increased their economic development activities, especially in the areas of land development and retail sales. Such measures have provoked criticism, but local officials say they have few alternatives. This paper presents a detailed survey of local economic development policies and activities. It includes assessments of their successes and failures by local officials. The results show that significant barriers to local economic activity exist, among them an inadequate state transportation infrastructure, high energy costs, and lack of an appropriately trained workforce.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Policies for Creating and Keeping Jobs in California By David Neumark, Emma Wohl, Stephanie Barton Dec 13, 2023 California offers 21 programs intended to add jobs or grow employment. Which policies work and how well? Three programs show strong evidence for creating jobs or increasing employment; others show mixed evidence or are too new to be evaluated. The state should consider expanding effective programs and build features to better evaluate the others.
California Economic Policy, Report Trade with Mexico and California Jobs By Howard J. Shatz Jan 12, 2006 The increasing globalization of the U.S. economy has sparked a persistent debate over the effects of trade on labor markets, and this debate has been most heated when it involves trade between the United States and low-wage countries. This edition of California Economic Policy analyzes the effect of trade with Mexico on job loss in California. The author finds that in some sectors of the economy --- particularly manufacturing --- trade with Mexico has had a small but visible effect, but not the large-scale level of job destruction some had feared.
