Brain Waste in the Workforce: Select U.S. and State Characteristics of College-Educated Native-Born and Immigrant Adults

Brain Waste in the Workforce: Select U.S. and State Characteristics of College-Educated Native-Born and Immigrant Adults. Migration Policy Institute. Margie McHugh et al. May 2014.

In a series of fact sheets focusing on the United States and a dozen key states, the report assesses the extent of “brain waste,” that is, the number of college-educated immigrant and native-born adults ages 25 and older who are either unemployed or have jobs that are significantly below their education and skill levels. The fact sheets also offer calculations nationally and at state levels of underutilization of education among immigrant and native-born professionals with engineering, nursing, and teaching degrees at the undergraduate level. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[HTML format with links to Fact Sheets].

Learning without Teachers? A Randomized Experiment of a Mobile Phone-Based Adult Education Program in Los Angeles

Learning without Teachers? A Randomized Experiment of a Mobile Phone-Based Adult Education Program in Los Angeles. Center for Global Development. Christopher Ksoll et al. May 22, 2014.

Over 755 million adults worldwide are unable to read and write in any language. Yet the widespread introduction of information and communication technology offers new opportunities to provide standardized distance education to underserved illiterate populations in both developed and developing countries. Using data from a randomized experiment of an innovative mobile phone-based adult education program (Cell-Ed) in Los Angeles, The authors find that the Cell-Ed program significantly increased students’ basic and broad reading scores, equivalent to a 2-4 year increase in reading levels over a four-month period. The program also increased participants’ self-esteem by 7 percent as compared with the comparison group.The results suggest that there is great scope for using information technology as a means of improving educational skills for illiterate adults.[Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 56 pages, 1.67 MB].

For 2016 Hopefuls, Washington Experience Could Do More Harm than Good

For 2016 Hopefuls, Washington Experience Could Do More Harm than Good. Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. May 19, 2014.

A national survey testing candidate traits finds that 30% would be less likely to support a candidate with “many years” of experience as an elected official in Washington, while 19% would be more likely to support such a candidate. About half (48%) say it would not matter if a candidate had long Washington experience. By contrast, early in the 2008 presidential campaign, more than twice as many saw lengthy Washington experience as a positive than negative trait for a presidential candidate. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 18 pages, 561.67 KB].

How Migration Can Advance Development Goals

How Migration Can Advance Development Goals. Migration Policy Institute. Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Kathleen Newland. May 2014.

International migration and development are inextricably linked. The report shows the connection between migration and development, focusing on the most promising areas for international cooperation and offering evidence-based recommendations for improving the development outcomes of migration. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 12 pages, 614 KB].

Young Adults, Student Debt and Economic Well-Being

Young Adults, Student Debt and Economic Well-Being. Pew Research Social & Demographic Trends. Richard Fry. May 14, 2014.

Student debt burdens are weighing on the economic fortunes of younger Americans, as households headed by young adults owing student debt lag far behind their peers in terms of wealth accumulation, according to the analysis of government data. About four-in-ten U.S. households (37%) headed by an adult younger than 40 currently have some student debt–the highest share on record, with the median outstanding student debt load standing at about $13,000. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 23 pages, 393.57 KB].

The Internet of Things Will Thrive by 2025

The Internet of Things Will Thrive by 2025. Pew Research Internet Project. Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie. May 14, 2014.

The report is an analysis of opinions about the likely expansion of the Internet of Things, a catchall phrase for the array of devices, appliances, vehicles, wearable material, and sensor-laden parts of the environment that connect to each other and feed data back and forth. It covers the over 1,600 responses that were offered specifically about our question about where the Internet of Things would stand by the year 2025. It includes some of the best and most provocative of the predictions survey respondents made when specifically asked to share their views about the evolution of embedded and wearable computing and the Internet of Things. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 66 pages, 916.57 KB].

New Technologies for Constitution Making

New Technologies for Constitution Making. U.S. Institute of Peace. Jason Gluck and Brendan Ballou. April 29, 2014.

The report explores the role of new technologies in increasing participation of constitution making. Gluck and Ballou look at how using technology during the constitution-making process can strengthen the trust between citizen and government, build national unity, and promote reconciliation. New technologies, such as the web, including email, Facebook, and Twitter, and mobile phones, are opportunities to engage and educate citizens and build public awareness. Citing examples in Iceland, Ghana, and Somalia, among others, the authors illustrate the scope of these new technologies, the risks, and what may come from them in the future. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 12 pages, 309.21 KB].

Russian Military Transformation – Goal In Sight?

Russian Military Transformation – Goal In Sight? Strategic Studies Institute. Keir Giles and Andrew Monaghan. May 5, 2014.

The Russian Armed Forces have been undergoing major structural reform since 2008. Despite change at the most senior levels of leadership, the desired endstate for Russia’s military is now clear; but this endstate is determined by a flawed political perception of the key threats facing Russia. The monograph reviews those threat evaluations, and the challenges facing Russia’s military transformation, to assess the range of options available to Russia for closing the capability gap with the United States and its allies.

[HTML format with a link to full text PDF file, 75 pages, 3.53 MB].

Global Skill Partnerships: A Proposal for Technical Training in a Mobile World

Global Skill Partnerships: A Proposal for Technical Training in a Mobile World. Center for Global Development. Michael Clemens. May 2, 2014.

Certain skills are in high demand in advanced economies, particularly in basic health care. Skilled migrants from developing countries are likely to fill part of that demand. This has aroused fears that migration will harm development, by draining both human and financial resources from the countries migrants leave. The paper reviews and critiques existing policy proposals to address the development effects of skilled migration. It then proposes a new kind of policy tool to regulate skilled migration in a way that benefits origin countries, destination countries, and migrants: Global Skill Partnerships. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 31 pages, 295.81 KB].

A Case against Taxes and Quotas on High-Skill Emigration

A Case against Taxes and Quotas on High-Skill Emigration. Center for Global Development. Michael Clemens. May 1, 2014.

Skilled workers have a rising tendency to emigrate from developing countries, raising fears that their departure harms the poor. To mitigate such harm, researchers have proposed a variety of policies designed to tax or restrict high-skill migration. Those policies have been justified as Pigovian regulations to raise efficiency by internalizing externalities, and as non-Pigovian regulations grounded in equity or ethics. The paper challenges both sets of justifications, arguing that Pigovian regulations on skilled emigration are inefficient and non-Pigovian regulations are inequitable and unethical. It concludes by discussing a different class of policy intervention that, in contrast, has the potential to raise welfare. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 45 pages, 585.4 KB].