Investing in Care: A Strategy for Effective and Equitable Job Creation

Bard College Levy Economics Institute Working Paper No. 610

30 Pages Posted: 16 Aug 2010

See all articles by Rania Antonopoulos

Rania Antonopoulos

Bard College - The Levy Economics Institute

Kijong Kim

Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

Thomas Masterson

Bard College - Levy Economics Institute

Ajit Zacharias

Bard College - Levy Economics Institute

Date Written: August 16, 2010

Abstract

Massive job losses in the United States, over eight million since the onset of the “Great Recession,” call for job creation measures through fiscal expansion. In this paper we analyze the job creation potential of social service-delivery sectors - early childhood development and home-based health care - as compared to other proposed alternatives in infrastructure construction and energy. Our microsimulation results suggest that investing in the care sector creates more jobs in total, at double the rate of infrastructure investment. The second finding is that these jobs are more effective in reaching disadvantaged workers - those from poor households and with lower levels of educational attainment. Job creation in these sectors can easily be rolled out. States already have mechanisms and implementation capacity in place. All that is required is policy recalibration to allow funds to be channeled into sectors that deliver jobs both more efficiently and more equitably.

Keywords: Social Care, Job Creation, Fiscal Expansion, Distribution, Infrastructure

JEL Classification: D30, E62, J48

Suggested Citation

Antonopoulos, Rania and Kim, Kijong and Masterson, Thomas and Zacharias, Ajit, Investing in Care: A Strategy for Effective and Equitable Job Creation (August 16, 2010). Bard College Levy Economics Institute Working Paper No. 610, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1659726 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1659726

Rania Antonopoulos (Contact Author)

Bard College - The Levy Economics Institute ( email )

Blithewood
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
United States
1-845-758-7717 (Phone)
1-845-758-1149 (Fax)

Kijong Kim

Levy Economics Institute of Bard College ( email )

Blithewood
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
United States
8457587738 (Phone)
8457581149 (Fax)

Thomas Masterson

Bard College - Levy Economics Institute ( email )

Blithewood Ave
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504
United States
845-758-7700 (Phone)
845-758-1149 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://levy.org

Ajit Zacharias

Bard College - Levy Economics Institute ( email )

Blithewood
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504
United States
845-758-7734 (Phone)
845-758-1149 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.levy.org

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