Stephen J. Holoviak

Unemployment and crime: an empirical investigation

This paper examines the relationship between labour market conditions and various crime series in three Asia-Pacific countries: Australia, Japan and South Korea. Johansens maximum likelihood cointegration tests are applied to annual, aggregate data to see whether there exists a long-run equilibrium relationship between unemployment and crime variables. In a society with a high unemployment rate, especially among young males, the opportunity cost of crime is relatively low so that criminal activities tend to increase. Although theoretically well-formulated, previous empirical studies of this hypothesis have yielded mixed evidence. The results of this study, however, appear to provide strong support for a long-run equilibrium relationship between unemployment and several crime series. This may be due to the use of cointegration method in the study, which is quite common in the area of economics and finance, but has not been applied extensively to the study of crime. Empirical support seems to be even stronger for the relationship between unemployment among young males and crime.

Determining the Cost of Supplemental Benefits

The authors present a method that will enable employers to calculate the actual cost of employee benefits so they can both gain control of costs and let employees know the true value of so-called fringes.

Employment-At-Will: A Legal Area that Merits Attention for the Small Business Person

This article acquaints the small business owner/manager with an area showing signs of being an emerging issue in the 1980s. Traditional common law interpretation held that an employer has the right to discharge workers “at-will.” However, recent court decisions and legislation have begun to change this long-held right. The results of successful employee suits can mean large cash awards to a former discharged worker. This article discusses the topics of “just-cause” for discharge, selected court decisions in the area, and what small business persons can do to protect themselves.