Planning for the future of vocational education should center around both external and internal perspectives. Planning for change should be based on the implications of the broadest societal issues as they evolve over the coming years. Accordingly, vocational programs need to be carefully reviewed to make certain students are being prepared to…

Following the passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the increased regulatory burden placed on defined benefit pension plans, the less complex fully funded defined contribution plan emerged as a more attractive and increasingly popular alternative. Traditionally the standard approach to pensions in the educational…

This report presents data from the complete 1985 panel file of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) on changes between 1985 and 1986 in the income and poverty status of persons. SIPP data make it possible to gauge movement along the whole income distribution and into and out of poverty for the same persons in two consecutive…

This review describes Alaska's economic boom of the early 1980s, the current recession, and economic projections for the 1990s. Alaska's economy is largely influenced by oil prices, since petroleum revenues make up 80% of the state government's unrestricted general fund revenues. Expansive state spending was responsible for most of Alaska's…

This journal issue explores Iowa's participation in the U.S. Civil War and primarily focuses on what happened to the men, women, and children who remained at home. A number of social, political, and economic changes are examined, including: (1) the increased responsibilities of women and children; (2) the growth of abolitionism; (3) the role of…

Alaska faces a problem that is easy to explain but hard to solve: state government is spending more than it collects. The budget crisis looms because oil production, which supplies 85% of the state's general fund revenues, will soon begin to fall as the Prudhoe Bay oil field is depleted. This paper examines the potential deficit and the effect it…

One in a series of booklets whose purpose is to stimulate greater and more effective understanding of world affairs among Americans, this seven-chapter report examines the political, economic, and anomalous positions of North and South Korea in the international system. "Traditional Legacies" traces the historical development of the two…

This U.S. Department of Agriculture periodical gives current statistical information on rural America. This issue contains articles about the impact on rural areas of economic trends, employment, and industry changes. A general overview indicates that moderate improvements in rural employment since 1986 have been tempered by slow income growth.…

Many dramatic changes in the U.S. labor force are projected to occur around the turn of the century. For the first time, the United States will have an age cohort in the work force with equal representation by sex, that is, 50-50 for men and women aged 16 to 24 in the labor force. It is projected that in the year 2000 there will be 2.6 million…

The relationship between business/industry and education in Florida is discussed in this paper with special emphasis on the role of community colleges in fostering and promoting economic development in the state. First, the paper highlights major factors arguing for strong links between education and industry, including the decline of…

This research brief highlights current and projected economic trends that affect higher education and discusses some of their implications. The brief is organized into three sections: (1) national economic conditions affecting higher education, which presents data on gross national product, inflation, the Higher Education Price Index, the federal…

In the 1980s West Virginia lost 70,000 mining and manufacturing jobs and nearly 4% of its population. Yet, despite the economic decline and a poverty rate of 23%, most West Virginians choose to stay. This series of newspaper articles focuses on why they stay. The story of one laid-off coal miner and his family illustrates the plight of many. Since…

Rural development, the strengthening of market-oriented approaches to the economy, and the promotion of private industry in the countries of the Third World are among the stated priorities of West German development policy. A market-oriented approach to the economy contributes to a rise in the standard of living in the developing countries. In…

In conjunction with the United States Constitution's Bicentennial, this issue is devoted to the contributions the Constitution has made in shaping the U.S. economic system. The main article, "The Economics of the Constitution," provides important insights on how the Constitution influences the economic system through answers to the…

This report of the Family Resource Coalition of America examines the interrelationship of sustainable community economic strategies and sustainable family units. The introductory section of the report consists of one article, "Integrating Community Development and Family Support." The second section, "Community Building: A Movement…