Boston College

About: Boston College is a education organization based out in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 9749 authors who have published 25406 publications receiving 1105145 citations. The organization is also known as: BC.

Inequality, Income Growth, and Mobility: The Basic Facts

Abstract: During the 1950s and 1960s, mean wages in the United States grew rapidly, and the dispersion around this growing mean changed very litde. Starting in the 1970s and continuing into the 1980s and 1990s, these patterns were reversed: mean wages grew slowly, and inequality increased rapidly. These changes in labor markets were reflected in changes in the distribution of family income.' The mean of the distribution of family income did increase after 1973, in spite of the near constancy of mean real wages, as family members increased the number of hours they worked. However, the increase in inequality of wages was mirrored by an increase in the dispersion of family income. A large descriptive literature has documented the rise in inequality, while a smaller behavioral literature has sought to delineate the causes of this rise.^ These changes in the distribution of family income a£Fected rates of poverty directly. During the 1950s and 1960s, temporary increases in poverty during recessions were more than offset by declines in poverty during economic expansions. As long as the poor gained along with everyone else fi-om the secular growth in the mean, one could be confident that poverty rates would ratchet down. This is exactly what happened as poverty rates fell from 22.4 percent in 1959 to 11.1 percent in 1973.

Harnessing Productive Tensions in Hybrid Organizations: The Case of Work Integration Social Enterprises

Abstract: We examine the factors that influence the social performance of hybrid organizations that pursue a social mission and sustain their operations through commercial activities by studying work integra

Environmental Regulations and Productivity Growth: The Case of Fossil-fueled Electric Power Generation

Abstract: This paper measures and analyzes the effect of sulfur dioxide emission restrictions on the rate of productivity growth in the electric power industry over the 1973-79 business cycle. A firm-specific measure of regulatory intensity is developed which depends on the severity of the emission standard, the extent of enforcement, and the unconstrained emission rate relevant to each utility. The results indicate that emission regulations result in significantly higher generating costs, primarily from the increased use of low-sulfur fuels. The average rate of productivity growth was reduced by 0.59 percentage points per year for constrained utilities.

A Survey of Blockholders and Corporate Control

Abstract: This paper surveys the empirical literature on large-percentage shareholders in public corporations, focusing on four key issues: the prevalence of blockholders; the motivation for block ownership; the effect of blockholders on major corporate decisions, specifically executive compensation, leverage, and the incidence of takeovers; and the effect of blockholders on firm value. A central finding of this study is that there is little reason for policymakers or small investors to fear large-percentage shareholders in general, especially when the blockholders are active in firm management.

Building a New Institutional Infrastructure for Corporate Responsibility

Abstract: Executive Overview This paper describes an emerging institutional infrastructure around corporate responsibility that has resulted in the evolution of initiatives such as the Global Reporting Initiative, the social investment movement, and related efforts that place more emphasis on corporate responsibility, accountability, transparency, and sustainability. Using a framework that roughly classifies initiatives into state/government, market/economic, and civil society categories, the paper illustrates the rapid evolution of new infrastructure that is pressuring companies to be more responsible.