UNC-Charlotte Seeks Professor of Social Justice, Human Rights, and Law

Via H-Law, we have the following job posting:

The Department of Africana Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is seeking candidates for a tenure-ladder position at the Associate or Full Professor level in the area of social justice, human rights, and the law.  The appointment will begin in August 2014.

Candidates with scholarly expertise and teaching interests in the legal frameworks of race, civil rights, gender, and cultural identity in the US, or in comparative and transnational settings are particularly encouraged to apply.  Interested applicants are required to hold Ph.D. degree in any relevant field in the humanities or the social sciences.  Applicants must demonstrate an excellent record of advanced scholarship and teaching, as well as a strong trajectory for institutional leadership.  Applicants must also demonstrate commitment to promote diversity and community engagement as a value in the department and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.  A Juris Doctor (JD) degree or comparable experience/credentials in legal studies is desirable but not required.

Follow the link for more information.

Weekend Roundup

• From History News Network: "Elena Kagan: Clinton's Legal Wonk During the '95/'96 Shutdowns." Also a round-up of the historically informed coverage of the shutdown.

• The Wesleyan Connection has posted a notice of David Rabban's Law's History.

• The Massachusetts Historical Society invites researchers to apply for fellowships. (Hat tip: H-Law)

• Thanks to the blog of the European Society for Comparative Legal History, we’ve learned of the advertising of a Legal History position at the University of Fribourg.  Deadline for applications: October 15, 2013.

• As we mentioned last week, the bloggers at the Historical Society have started an interesting conversation about whether historians should use new media. The topic of this week's post is "Will Blog Posts and Tweets Hurt Junior Scholars?"

 Weekend Roundup is a weekly feature compiled by all the Legal History bloggers.

Elena Kagan: Clinton's Legal Wonk During the '95/'96 Shutdowns - See more at: http://hnn.us/article/153480#sthash.WbeIPQxP.dpuf

Elena Kagan: Clinton's Legal Wonk During the '95/'96 Shutdowns - See more at: http://hnn.us/article/153480#sthash.WbeIPQxP.dp

Drake University Seeks Assistant Prof. for Law, Politics, and Society Program

Via H-Net, we have the following job posting:

Drake University invites applications for an outstanding teacher and scholar with an interest in global legal issues, to join our interdisciplinary undergraduate Law, Politics, and Society program (LPS) starting in August 2014.

This 9-month tenure-track, assistant professor position is open with respect to specialization and discipline. Ph.D.or advanced ABD is required. Successful candidates will be broadly trained, and able to teach within the major’s core curriculum, while providing topical seminars that contribute to the curriculum, and the university’s mission, in interesting and vibrant ways. We seek sociolegal scholars with a global/international focus, or a specialty relating to issues such as, but not limited to, immigration, human rights, and security. The position carries a 3/3 teaching load; Drake values experiential education, including service learning and travel seminars, and supports faculty scholarship and development. Salary is competitive with peer schools and dependent on qualifications and experience. Application materials should include c.v., teaching philosophy, writing sample, and a cover letter that provides the names of three references.

The LPS program enthusiastically welcomes diversity in applicants to this position. Drake University is an equal-opportunity employer; no applicant shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, or veteran status.

Indiana University Seeks Human Rights Scholar

Via H-Law, we have the following job posting:

The Department of International Studies in the School of Global and International Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, Indiana University, invites applications for a senior position in human rights, to begin August 2014. Qualified full and advanced associate professors are encouraged to apply, particularly those working in the areas of philosophy, history, political theory, cultural anthropology, cultural studies, or critical and/or public interest approaches to law (Ph.D. required). Candidates should have an outstanding research record with commensurate undergraduate and graduate teaching and mentorship, along with a commitment to studying global imperatives, structures, and formations alongside regional, linguistic, historical, political, and cultural particularities.

For more information, follow the link.

A Broken Visa System

        A recent article in The Economist argues that our current visa system is in desperate need of reform. Year after year, the government receives far more applications for H1B visas than the 65,000 that are allotted to American business. As The Economist notes, in 2007 the government exceeded the limit in one day and a year later it only took two days. This year, the government is expected to exceed it’s limit on April 5^th, five days after the start of the new fiscal year.

The author argues that the cap on visas is potentially hurting the economy since U.S. corporations are not able to fill jobs if their potential new employees are denied visas. Although those who oppose raising the cap on visas claim these foreign workers are stealing American jobs, Michael Clemens, who is an economist and currently works at the Centre for Global Development, notes that given the high cost and time consuming process of acquiring a visa, most companies would prefer to hire a U.S. citizen but often cannot find one that has the necessary job skills.

        Thus, the visa system must be reformed in order to accommodate U.S. businesses. Among the possible proposals, raising the cap from 65,000 H1B visas to 195,000 could help boost the economy. The government should also make reforms to the visa system that enable college students graduating with degrees pertaining to the sciences, engineering field, or mathematics to remain in the United States to work. And lastly, similar to programs already introduced in Canada, the United States should extend more visas to foreign entrepreneurs who have the necessary funds to start a business here in America. Perhaps such a program could combat the 10% decline in new businesses started in Silicon Valley.

"ON THE MARKET"

In August, the annual recruitment of new professors for law schools officially gets underway. Later this month, the AALS will release the first batch of “FAR” forms for the 2013-14 hiring season. This deceptively simple on-line questionnaire is just the beginning of what, for most candidates, is a grueling, months’-long process.

We thought it might be interesting and useful to talk with several candidates who are “on the market” this year, to see how they are thinking about the process, and what kinds of advice they have received.  Over the past two decades, I have been involved with this process from various vantage points, as a member or chair of hiring committees, as an adviser to graduate students in both legal history and American religious history. 

I interviewed three of this years’ candidates, each of whom has a law degree and one of whom has finished the Ph.D.  The other two are at various stages of work on the dissertation, one quite far along, the other less so, but still having made considerable progress on research and some writing.  Two are doing joint degrees; one has done the J.D. and Ph.D. degrees seriatim.

Read more »

University of Western Australia Seeks Professor of Law & Society

The University of Western Australia has announced this job opening, among others: 

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR/PROFESSOR IN LAW AND SOCIETY

As a result of its successful introduction of a new BA Major in Law and Society in 2012, The University of Western Australia Law School is seeking to appoint an academic with interests in socio-legal studies/law and society/empirical studies in law.

Applicants must have a PhD or equivalent in research. Applicants with teaching experience are requested to submit a teaching portfolio as part of their application if they are tempted by a beautiful city, warmer weather, a strong economy, high achieving students, and a collegial atmosphere within a research-intensive university, ranked in the World's top-100.

More information is available here.

Hat tip: Felicity Turner

Visiting Position in U.S. History at Brown

[We have the following announcement.  We understand that American Legal History is among those “courses with broad appeal” that the announcement envisions.]

UNITED STATES HISTORY.  The History Department at Brown University invites applications for a one-year, full-time visiting appointment in U.S. history for the 2013-14 academic year.  Ph.D. or equivalent is required by time of appointment.  Regional, thematic, and chronological specializations are open, but there is a preference for candidates who can teach courses in 19th-century U.S. history, especially courses with broad appeal, such as The American Civil War. Teaching duties will include one lecture course and one seminar per semester, as well as advising of senior honors theses.  Interested candidates should submit a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, at least two syllabi of courses already taught or proposed to teach, and the names and email addresses of three referees.  All materials should be assembled into one .PDF document and emailed as an attachment to Tracy_Steffes@Brown.edu.  Consideration of applications will begin May 20, 2013 and continue until the position is filled.  Brown University is an EEO/AA employer.  Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges seek VAP to teach Law and Politics

Via H-Law, we have the following job posting:

Visiting Assistant Professor of American Politics- One Year Replacement
Department of Political Science, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

The Department of Political Science invites applications for a one-year, full-time visiting position in American Politics in the field of Law and Politics at the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor beginning in the Fall of 2013; Ph.D. is preferred, advanced ABD will be considered. Applications from those with a specialization in some aspect of Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, or Labor, are particularly encouraged. The ideal candidate will be able to teach a mixture of the following subjects: Public Law, Law and Society, Introduction to American Politics, and/or Political Theory. The successful candidate's work will be informed by theoretical and historical perspectives on questions important to the understanding of politics in the United States.

The Department values intellectual diversity and supports a wide range of critical and theoretical approaches that help bring people together across subfields as they address questions of power. The Department also supports interdisciplinarity in teaching and research in keeping with the Colleges' longstanding emphasis on liberal arts education. We encourage the creative development of new questions, lines of inquiry, and vectors of critique.

Application instructions after the jump:
Read more »

California's Recovering Economy

Adam Nagourney, writing for The New York Times, examined California's recovering economy.  Compared to the rest of the nation, the Golden State experienced one of the longest and harshest downturns, spurred on by widespread foreclosures and a ballooning unemployment rate that surged to over 12.4% in mid-2010.  But by October, unemployment had dropped to 10.1% - high for most states, but a marked improvement for California.  In fact, the month-to-month drop from August to September (10.6% to 10.2%) was the state's largest decrease in the 36 years since it began tabulating unemployment statistics.  The housing market is recovering as well.  Home sales are up 25% from a year ago, and houses are staying on the market for a shorter period of time and selling for higher prices. The California Legislative Analyst's Office projects the state to post a $1.9 billion deficit next year, and perhaps even a $1 billion surplus.  California's deficit was at one point over $25 billion – bigger than many states' budgets.  With that said, a significant geographical divide characterizes the recovery.  Coastal areas are posting much lower unemployment rates and possess healthier housing markets than the inland areas.  Additionally, by some measuresCalifornia still has the worst poverty rate.  The state has rebounded significantly, but still has considerable work left to be done.  

More Chinese Women in Labor Force than Indian Women

Recent findings released by Gallupindicate that China’s female labor force participation rate (70%) is significantly greater than India’s (25%).  Not only are Indian women less likely to be present in their country’s labor force than Chinese women, women in India’s labor force are three times more likely to be unemployed (with an unemployment rate of 15%) than their Chinese counterparts (with an unemployment rate of 5%). Furthermore, women in China are nearly twice as likely to be employed full-time than women in India (21% verses 11%).  In addition, 53% of highly educated Chinese women reportedly hold a “good job” whereas only 17% of Indian women who received tertiary education maintain a “good job”.  There are also significant discrepancies in the literacy rates of Chinese females (91%) and the Indian females (50%).   In sum, Chinese women are much more likely to receive even a basic education than Indian women, and, among Chinese and Indian women who receive higher education, Chinese women are much more likely to find full-time employment. While the Chinese economy (with a 9% growth rate) is currently out-performing India’s economy, (with a 6.8% growth rate) China’s growth is expected to stall due to low fertility rates and an aging population. On the other hand, India’s population of working-aged citizens is expected to steadily increase until about 2030 and this can lead to major economic growth if India encourages greater female labor force participation.  

Underemployment Continues to Fall, But Is Still Double Pre-Recession Level

With the jobs numbers released this past Friday, highlighting Gallup's underemployment statistics provides another look into the employment situation in America.  Gallup defines underemployed workers as those who work part-time but desire a full-time job, along with Americans who are simply unemployed. This figure is an important supplement to the BLS' jobs numbers, as it illustrates the lingering frustration within the American economy that is not quite as apparent in Friday's optimistic report.  While underemployment has tailed off in recent months, it's still well above levels seen before the recession.  16.5% of workers are underemployed, down from over 20% in 2010 and 18.1% this time one year ago.  Before the housing bubble burst and drove the economy into a downward spiral unseen since the Great Depression, underemployment had sunk to below 8%, but as companies laid off workers and scaled back domestic operations, Americans were left struggling to find full-time employment, prompting a spike in unemployment and underemployment.  Still, though, the 16.5% underemployment rate is the lowest since the start of the recession, and it continues to steadily drop as the year progresses.  

Wages Drop

On June 28^th the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its County Employment and Wages Fourth Quarter 2011 report.  The report states that the average weekly wage decreased by 1.7% to $955 from the fourth quarter of 2010 to the fourth quarter in 2011.  This decrease marks only the fifth wage loss since the Census began tracking the figure in 1978.  Olmsted, Minnesota experienced the greatest decrease in weekly wages amongst large counties, with pay dropping 21.3%.  In Olmsted the education and health services industries faced the most severe losses with a total wage decline of $287.3 million (-29.1%).

The large counties (population of at least 75,000) leading the way in employment gains were Kern, California; Fort Bend, Texas; Weld, Colorad; Williamson, Tennessee; and Utah County, Utah.  These counties had the highest percentage increase in employment, all of them seeing gains of at least 4.3%.  On a grander scale, the U.S. added 1.8 million jobs since December 2010, putting the national employment at 131.3 million.

"Sand Rush" in Midwest Expected to Bring Jobs

A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses what it refers to as a "sand rush" in the Midwest due to an increase in demand for sand by U.S. oil and natural gas-producers.  The sedimentary material is a necessary component in the process of "fracking," in which sand is "injected deep underground to prop open fractures in shale formations and allow oil and gas to flow out."  The chart from the article shows the increase in demand for "fracking-sand" since 2008.  As the chart shows, demand has increased from roughly 6 million tons in 2008 to nearly 30 million tons in 2011.  According to the article, this increased demand is expected to bring more jobs to the Midwest, but there resistance from residents due to environmental concerns may play a role in the development of this industry. 

"Disappointing" April Jobs Report

A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses what it refers to as a "disappointing jobs report" for April.  While the unemployment rate decreased to 8.1%, this drop can largely be attributed to the 342,000 people who left the labor force over the same time period.  The interactive graphic from the article, which includes three graphs, highlights several unemployment trends since the recession began in 2008.  In one graph, the percentage change in payroll employment from 2008 to 2012 is compared to four other periods of recession.  As the graph shows, all jobs had been recovered by year five of the previous recessions but have still not been recovered since the recession beginning in 2008.  Another graph shows the percentage change in payroll employment since 2008.  As this graph indicates, construction has made little improvement at -25.8% while the education and health sector have improved by 9.1% since 2008.  Lastly, the third graph shows the percent change in payroll employment since 2008 by gender.  According to the graph, men were hit worse initially by the recession but have since made a more rapid recovery.  Currently, however, women are only 2.6% below pre-recession employment while men remain 4.6% below.

8.1% Unemployment Predicted for Fourth Quarter

A survey conducted by the Philadelphia Federal Reserveinvolving 45 economic forecasters estimated that with current trends, unemployment is likely to drop to 8.1% by the fourth quarter. This poll shows an upward trend in the forecasting of economic prospects. A similar poll conducted in November projected unemployment averaging 8.7% in the fourth quarter. This optimism about the future of the nation’s economy is not necessarily unfounded. As of January the employment rate declined to 8.3%, a major improvement from November’s unemployment rate of 8.7%.

Looking for a Job? Try North Dakota

A recent Gallup survey shows that more employers in North Dakota were hiring rather than firing workers, and by a significant margin. This landed North Dakota a +34 score on Gallup’s Job Creation Index, with the District of Columbia trailing behind in second place with a +24 score. Rhode Island received the lowest score with a +4 and New Jersey placed second to last with +6. Though North Dakota may have the best job creation, Nevada appears to be making a turn around and had the strongest improvement in job creation. Michigan also improved significantly, adding 8 points to its job creation index in the past year.

In Polls Regarding Policy, Words Can Be Deciding Factor

In his blog post detailing the likely public response to President Obama's new jobs proposal, Nate Silver pointed out an important variable in the polling data we often take as fact: the wording of questions. He asks, "Are Americans going to be tolerant of proposals for new spending after having spent six months hearing about deficit reduction?" His answer? "Well, it depends on how you ask them."

According to Silver,"when the issue is framed as one of jobs against deficits, jobs win." He writes: "On average, those polls that ask Americans to prioritize 'creating jobs' or 'reducing unemployment' against 'cutting spending' or 'reducing the deficit' have had 57 percent of respondents coming out on the jobs side, against 36 percent who prioritize the deficit."

But wording can make all the difference. "The answer changes, however, when the conflict is instead framed as stimulus or recovery spending against deficits. In polls that employ the term 'spend' or 'spending' in describing the additional stimulus, its support drops to an average of 44 percent, with 50 percent saying that deficit reduction is the higher priority."

It appears President Obama has taken notice. Silver found "that in his speech on Thursday night, Mr. Obama used the term 'job' or 'jobs' 39 times, often preceded by 'create' — but never uttered the word 'stimulus.'" And when he used to word 'spend' or 'spending', he was typically referring to his efforts to reduce spending--not plans to spend more. Nor did "Obama specify the cost of his program."

Silver anticipates more "semantic scrum" to follow in the coming weeks of partisan policy debate. And he has a suggestion for pollsters and readers: "I would advise [pollsters] to use multiple question variants where possible, taking a larger sample and splitting it into halves or thirds, and I would advise readers to be suspicious of articles that cherry-pick one or two polls without discussing the broader context."


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April Data Shows Signs of U.S. Economic Recovery, More Jobs Added

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report today revealing that an unexpectedly high 244,000 jobs were added this past April. The private sector continued to be the driving force behind increasing numbers, adding 268,000 jobs during the month, while the government cut an additional 24,000 jobs, most of them at the local level.According to the New York Times, economists had anticipated a much less impressive 185,000 jobs to be added in April. But while the news from the report was mostly positive, economists warned that there are still concerns. The unemployment rate, for example, rose from 8.8% to 9.0% in April, and, according to the Times, "falling government employment numbers, weak construction figures, no expansion in average weekly hours, and a small rise in average hourly earnings" cautioned against premature celebration.

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