Papers by Mary Ellen Benedict
Journal of Economics and Economic Education Research, 2010
Using data from a Midwestern university, the authors examine whether math preparation, as measure... more Using data from a Midwestern university, the authors examine whether math preparation, as measured by the ACT special mathematics score and the math placement from a preparation entrance exam for freshmen students, is associated with performance in one's first economics course. The results indicate that the level of math skills one brings to college has a statistically and economically significant effect on the performance in the economics course. This result is persistent, even when controlling for college math courses taken prior to the economics course. The authors conclude that mathematical maturity may be the relevant causal factor in one's first economic course performance, since higher level math placements tend to result in higher probabilities of As and Bs in one's economic class. In addition, it appears as though the first college algebra course, the business calculus course, and the mathematics courses for math majors or those planning to teach mathematics are the classes associated with higher economics grades. On the other hand, the elementary and intermediate algebra course are not helpful, and in fact, those students who did not take a math class prior to their economics courses performed better on average than those who took the basic algebra classes. These results suggest that at the least, some college algebra would benefit a student in the first economics course.
The American economist
This paper investigates why students are apprehensive about their principles of economics classes... more This paper investigates why students are apprehensive about their principles of economics classes. Using data collected on 399 students from a large, midwestem public university in the 1998 academic year, the authors examine whether there are demographic differences in levels of apprehension and what are the reported reasons for apprehension. The study includes a descriptive analysis and a probit analy sis and concludes that: (1) course reputation is the main reason reported by students as the reason for being apprehensive; (2) females tend to be more apprehensive than males; and (3) increased math abil ity reduces apprehension levels for males and females. The authors suggest that preparatory sessions for those students weak in mathematics and alternative teaching methodologies may reduce the level of apprehension in the introductory courses.
Journal of Entrepreneurship Education
This paper examines the self-employment path of STEM graduates and whether self-employed STEM gra... more This paper examines the self-employment path of STEM graduates and whether self-employed STEM graduates are associated with larger firms compared to their non-STEM counterparts. The results indicate that graduates with STEM degrees have a lower probability of being self-employed, with the exception of health professionals and individuals with a baccalaureate degree in technology and a Masters degree in computer science. However, self-employed STEM graduates are associated with larger firms. These findings suggest that education policy promoting STEM disciplines may not necessarily result in new firms, but STEM graduates contribute to the growth of employment and subsequently, the economy. …
We find evidence that procedural utility is a useful explanatory variable of self-employment stat... more We find evidence that procedural utility is a useful explanatory variable of self-employment status among a sample of highly educated workers. We find no evidence indicating that procedural utility is useful in explaining the transition to self-employment. However, we do find that traditional employment attributes associated with outcome utility motivate the decision to move into paid-employment and are related to being in paid work generally. Our findings add to the literature examining the usefulness of procedural utility as an explanatory variable and motivate further examination of the relationship between procedural and outcome utility.
Journal of Legal Studies Education, 2000
I. INTRODUCTION TO THE ROLE-PLAY WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND? I n March of 1996, while driving home from ... more I. INTRODUCTION TO THE ROLE-PLAY WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND? I n March of 1996, while driving home from a long weekend, Evan Brown was struck with the solution to a problem he had been considering for over twenty years. He believed that he had finally conceived of a way to convert older computer software into new languages. Any elation he felt at the discovery was short-lived, however, because i n 1987 he had signed a preinvention assignment agreement with his employer, DSC Communications Corporation, Inc. What was to follow included failed negotiations and a lawsuit over something that was still only an idea in Mr. Brown's mind. Mr. Brown's dispute with his employer raises a number of issues that lend themselves well to a negotiation role-play. The role-play that follows could serve as an interdisciplinary assignment involving negotiation skills, employment issues, contract law, intellectual property, and ethics. It can be used in a variety of classes. Courses on negotiation or alternative dispute resolution may focus the case entirely on the development of negotiation skills, particularly for the examination of multiparty, multi-issue bargaining. Labor relations or human resource management courses may also include the development of negotiating skills in using the case, but these courses can add other dimensions of the employer-employee relationship, including a detailed
Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy
Collaborative Research in Economics, 2017
This chapter in the volume illustrates how Benedict’s own trajectory of collaboration began in a ... more This chapter in the volume illustrates how Benedict’s own trajectory of collaboration began in a doctoral program and blossomed in an academic environment. For Benedict, collaboration encompassed a wide spectrum of associations: colleagues, students, friends, and her husband. She makes the point that criticism among closely related collaborators, while often reserved, can be successful.
The American Economist, 1999
Using data on individual faculty from seven Ohio public universities, this study analyzes how col... more Using data on individual faculty from seven Ohio public universities, this study analyzes how collective bargaining affects the faculty earnings distribution. An empirical analysis of the variance of log earnings and earnings regressions by union status reveal that collective bargaining in postsecondary schools slightly increases the dispersion of earnings in this sample. This result is mainly due to an increased dispersion of female faculty salaries in unionized schools, which appears to be caused by unionized females in higher ranks receiving greater returns to rank than their nonunionized counterparts.
The American Economist, 2002
This paper investigates why students are apprehensive about their principles of economics classes... more This paper investigates why students are apprehensive about their principles of economics classes. Using data collected on 399 students from a large, midwestem public university in the 1998 academic year, the authors examine whether there are demographic differences in levels of apprehension and what are the reported reasons for apprehension. The study includes a descriptive analysis and a probit analysis and concludes that: (1) course reputation is the main reason reported by students as the reason for being apprehensive; (2) females tend to be more apprehensive than males; and (3) increased math ability reduces apprehension levels for males and females. The authors suggest that preparatory sessions for those students weak in mathematics and alternative teaching methodologies may reduce the level of apprehension in the introductory courses.
The American Economist, 2017
Using 48,403 observations from the National Survey of College Graduates, this article examines th... more Using 48,403 observations from the National Survey of College Graduates, this article examines the racial salary disparity between Black and White college graduates. We find that academic major and first higher education institution influence one’s final occupation, which in turn affects the salary disparity between Blacks and Whites. We suggest that public policy builds awareness among high school students aspiring for college of the importance of preparing for specific academic majors that lead to occupations expected to maintain an earnings premium.
The American Economist, 2006
Many factors contribute to choice of employment other than compensation. This study extends the c... more Many factors contribute to choice of employment other than compensation. This study extends the current hteralure by testing whether a compensating differential exists in employment sectors deemed morally satisfying. Data from the 1998 salary survey ofthe National Association for Business Economics (NABE) and sector rankings addressing moral satisfaction provided by a sample of college students are used in a regression analysis. When we include a self selection correction in the salary regression, business economists in the for-profit sector earned almost 150 percent more than their nonprofit counterparts, once controlling for the choice of employment sector and human capital variables. Average wages were economically and statistically higher for business economists situated in the middle and low moral satisfaction groupings compared to those in the high moral satisfaction sector. Results suggest a compensating differential for those employed in morally satisfying industry sectors.
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 1995
Using standard measures of income inequality and detailed pension benefit information on particip... more Using standard measures of income inequality and detailed pension benefit information on participants in the 1983 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), the authors investigate how pension benefits affected the distribution of earned income. The results suggest that private pensions increased annual income inequality (relative to inequality observed in the distribution of wage income) by only about 2% among all employed individuals, but by 21% among unionized workers. Further analysis indicates that private pensions raised annual income inequality primarily by increasing the rate of return to tenure, possibly through pension “backloading” (setting accruals to grow when earnings rise near retirement) and the increasing incidence of pensions with age. Private pensions had little effect on estimates of the distribution of expected lifetime income, but the addition to the analysis of social security benefits (public pensions) strongly reduced inequality in that distribution.
The American economist
Manyf actorcso ntributteo choiceo f employmenott hert hanc ompensationT.h is studye xtendst hec u... more Manyf actorcso ntributteo choiceo f employmenott hert hanc ompensationT.h is studye xtendst hec urrentl iteraturbey testingw hethera compensatindgi fferentieaxl istsi n employmenste ctorsd eemed morallysa tisfyingD.a ta fromt he1 998 salarys urveyo f theN ationalA ssociationf orB usinessE conomics (NABE) and sectorr ankingasd dressingm orals atisfactiopnr ovidedb y a sampleo f colleges tudents are used in a regressionan alysisW. henw e includea self-selectiocno rrectionin thes alaryr egression, businesse conomistisn thef or-profsietc tore arneda lmost1 50 percentm oret hant heirn onprofcito unterpartso, n ce controllinfgo rt he choice of employmenste ctora nd humanc apitalv ariablesA. verage wagesw eree conomicallyan d statisticallhyi gherf orb usinesse conomistssi tuatedin them iddlea nd low morals atisfactiognr oupingcso mparedt o thosei n theh ighm orals atisfactiosne ctorR. esultss uggesta compensatindgi fferentifaolr t hosee mployedin morallys atisfyinign dustrsye ctors.
This article analyzes the newspaper product market, with a particular emphasis on the two corpora... more This article analyzes the newspaper product market, with a particular emphasis on the two corporations that own newspapers in Detroit, Michigan. It integrates national trends with the Detroit case in order to argue that monoponistic control in the labor market has reduced the power of unions in the industry. This analysis finds two forces creating a monopsony environment in the newspaper industry, firstly the economic changes in the industry that allow for more regional control over the printed news and the legal structure of Joint Operating Agreements that allows for regional papers to combine operations.
In this paper we propose a series of homework problems that extend the international coverage in ... more In this paper we propose a series of homework problems that extend the international coverage in economics courses. The homeworks require students to decide which former Soviet Bloc countries should join the European Monetary Union. We argue that while there are some class time costs associated with these homeworks, they extend the international understanding of the students and at the same time build on core economic concepts.
Many factors contribute to choice of employment other than compensation. This study extends the c... more Many factors contribute to choice of employment other than compensation. This study extends the current hteralure by testing whether a compensating differential exists in employment sectors deemed morally satisfying. Data from the 1998 salary survey ofthe National Association for Business Economics (NABE) and sector rankings addressing moral satisfaction provided by a sample of college students are used in a regression analysis. When we include a self selection correction in the salary regression, business economists in the for-profit sector earned almost 150 percent more than their nonprofit counterparts , once controlling for the choice of employment sector and human capital variables. Average wages were economically and statistically higher for business economists situated in the middle and low moral satisfaction groupings compared to those in the high moral satisfaction sector. Results suggest a compensating differential for those employed in morally satisfying industry sectors.
International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Economics
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 1989
Using data on Pennsylvania public schools for the period 1978–84, the authors investigate the eff... more Using data on Pennsylvania public schools for the period 1978–84, the authors investigate the effects of bargainer experience on the frequency and duration of strikes. They find that increases in the negotiation experience of the chief or principal bargainer on either side, as well as increases in the experience of the two bargainers combined, reduce both the frequency and duration of strikes, suggesting that experienced bargainers are more adept than inexperienced bargainers at learning the minimum payoffs demanded by their opponents and conveying their own true positions. Also, strikes are less likely to occur the more equal the experience levels of the two chief bargainers.
The Journal of Economic Education, 2004
Abstract: Using data on individuals taking principles of economics courses in large lecture rooms... more Abstract: Using data on individuals taking principles of economics courses in large lecture rooms, the authors investigate whether a student's seating prefer-ence is related to success in the classroom. They find that individuals who prefer to sit near the front of the room ...
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Papers by Mary Ellen Benedict