Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Information Technology By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Jun 22, 2011 Some findings of the current survey: The share of Californians using a cell phone to access the Internet has doubled in three years, from 19 to 40 percent. Surfing the web via cell phone is up for all racial and ethnic groups. Forty-one percent of residents in the San Francisco Bay Area use cell phones to work remotely; 31 percent in Los Angeles and 24 percent in the Central Valley do so. Mood of Californians:General Direction of Things in California [PDF]Economic Outlook for California [PDF] Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [XLS]Economic Outlook for California [XLS] This survey was supported with funding from the California Emerging Technology Fund and ZeroDivide.
Report Business Climate Rankings and the California Economy By David Neumark, Jed Kolko, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Apr 13, 2011 California fares poorly on many national ranking of business climate, yet over the past 30 years the state’s economy has grown at roughly the same rate as the national average. This report examines this California puzzle, finding that factors beyond policy matter more for economic growth. California’s advantages – particularly its favorable climate and industry mix – offset its unfavorable rankings. This research was supported with funding from the David A. Coulter Family Foundation and the Donald Bren Foundation.
Report Lessons from the 2007 Legal Arizona Workers Act By Steven Raphael, Sarah Bohn, Magnus Lofstrom Mar 14, 2011 Arizona’s unauthorized immigrant population shrank after employers were required to verify workers' legal status with the federal E-Verify system. The 2007 law also pushed a substantial number of unauthorized immigrants into self-employment. The study estimates that from 2008 to 2009 Arizona’s population of unauthorized immigrants of working age fell by about 17 percent, or about 92,000 people, as a result of the Legal Arizona Workers Act (LAWA).This research was supported with funding from the Russell Sage Foundation.
Report How Can California Spur Job Creation? By David Neumark Feb 3, 2011 California has both short- and long-term unemployment problems. This report examines the effectiveness of two direct job creation policies: hiring credits – subsidies to employers to hire workers – and worker subsidies – subsidies to individuals to enter the labor market. In the short-term, a well-designed hiring credits program is a more effective response to downturns in the business cycle. In the long term, worker subsidies are a better way to address the state’s chronic unemployment problems. This report was supported with funding from the Donald Bren Foundation.
Report Business Relocation and Homegrown Jobs, 1992–2006 By Jed Kolko Sep 22, 2010 The majority of California’s job losses and gains in recent decades are "homegrown”—that is, they take place in locally owned and operated businesses. This update shows that only a small fraction of the state’s job losses are caused by businesses leaving the state. Relocation accounts for a smaller share of job gains and losses in California than in most other states, in part because most California businesses lie far from the border of neighboring states. This report was supported with funding from the David A. Coulter Family Foundation.
Report Immigrant Legalization: Assessing the Labor Market Effects By Joseph Hayes, Laura Hill, Magnus Lofstrom Apr 6, 2010 This report finds that a legalization program for unauthorized immigrants is unlikely to lead to dramatic changes in the labor market, for immigrant or native workers. It also finds little evidence to support expectations of significant effects on the broader economy, particularly in terms of tax revenues or public assistance programs. To assess labor market outcomes, the authors examined the work and migration histories of both unauthorized and continuously legal immigrants, comparing their experiences both before and after they became legal permanent residents.
