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Scholarly Works (4 results)

  • Multimedia
Research Reports (2022)

At the start of the pandemic, Congress temporarily expanded Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs through the federal CARES Act In this report, we mainly focus on Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which expanded the weeks of UI eligibility This and other emergency provisions were set to expire on September 4, 2021, which is commonly referred to as a “benefts clif ” However, policymakers in some states chose to end these programs before that date This policy report evaluates the impact the expansion and expiration of these programs had on the US labor market using data from the U S Department of Labor, the Current Population Survey, and California’s Employment Development Department Using national data, we fnd the benefts clif caused a dramatic drop in the proportion of unemployed workers that are covered by UI, which was three times as large as a similar clif at the end of the Great Recession To measure coverage, we focus on the UI recipiency rate, which is the share of jobless workers who received UI benefts In comparison, gains to employment were modest at most Our primary measure of employment is the percentage of the adult population that is employed in each month Data on the demographics of extension program benefciaries is only available in California, and it suggests that workers from disadvantaged backgrounds were disproportionately afected by the expirations In California, UI claimants who were relying on the PEUC extension program when it expired were more likely to identify as Black or women Older and less educated workers were also more impacted by these programs expiring As a whole, our results paint a positive picture of the efects of the federal UI expansions on the U S labor market Our fndings of a dramatic decline in UI recipiency without a meaningful rise in employment imply the pandemic UI expansions increased coverage and bolstered incomes of unemployed workers without a substantial efect on employment As in many other studies, these results rely on comparisons of changes in outcomes between states over time The assumptions underlying our research design are discussed in further detail in the report.

This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278

  • 1 supplemental PDF
  • Article
Capstone Projects (2022)
In order to uptake of electric vehicles (EV) into last mile delivery, we recommend the deployment of a combination of novel and existing policies to both encourage widespread EV uptake and discourage the use of diesel-based freight through zero emission delivery zones and purchase subsidies. Our research is composed of three methods: Interviews, Quantitative Modeling, and Quantitative Modeling. The interviews and quantitative analysis revealed that the burden on delivery companies is greater than the social benefits such as GHG reductions due to the large investment in EVs. The effectiveness of the policy combination was also confirmed. Using the three criteria of Political Feasibility, Efficiency, and Equity, we evaluated the policies using the Criteria-Alternative Matrix and concluded that the voluntary ZEDZ is the most effective stand-alone policy. Since no one pollutant reducing policy can meet all criteria effectively we recommend packaging various policies together. Our model demonstrates that a combination of policies produce the highest results in decreasing costs and pollutant levels, particularly a combination of purchase subsidies and mandated ZEDZ. To better improve equity scores, we recommend cities consider adding purchase subsidies of freight electric vehicles to a ZEDZ program to offset costs businesses would incur, particularly small businesses transitioning to electric vehicle fleets. Mandated ZEDZ would add additional burdens on small businesses since these companies don’t have the capital to transform fleets.
    Cover page: Zero Emission Delivery Zones - An Analysis on US Implementation
    • Article
    Policy Briefs (2022)
      Cover page: Evaluation of Zero Emission Policies in Last-Mile Delivery
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2019)
      The capillary fringe is a subsurface terrestrial-aquatic interface that can be a significant hotspot for biogeochemical cycling of terrestrially derived organic matter and nutrients. However, pathways of nitrogen (N) cycling within this environment are poorly understood, and observations of temporal fluctuations in nitrate (NO3−) concentrations lack the necessary resolution to partition between biotic or abiotic mechanisms. At discrete sampling points we measured NO3−, nitrite (NO2−), ammonium (NH4+), gaseous nitrous oxide (N2O), and nitrogen (N2), and the corresponding isotopic composition of NO3− within floodplain sediments at Rifle, Colorado. Coincident with an annually reoccurring spring/summer excursion in groundwater elevation driven by snowmelt, we observed a rapid decline in NO3− followed by transient peaks in NO2−, at three depths (2, 2.5, and 3 m) below the ground surface. Isotopic measurements (δ15N and δ18O of NO3−) suggest an immediate onset of biological N loss at 2 m. At 2.5 and 3 m, NO3− concentrations declined initially with no observable isotopic response, indicating dilution of NO3− as the NO3−-deficient groundwater rose, followed by denitrification after prolonged saturation. A simple Rayleigh model further supports this depth-dependent variability in the significance of actively fractionating mechanisms (i.e., NO3− reduction) relative to non-fractionating mechanisms (mixing and dilution). NO3− reduction was calculated to be responsible for 64% of the NO3− decline at 2 m, 28% at 2.5 and 47% at 3 m, respectively. Finally, by accounting for previous molecular and geochemical analysis at this site, and comparing the trajectories between Δδ18O: Δδ15N, we conclude that biological NO3− consumption at the two deeper and frequently saturated depths (2.5 and 3 m) can be attributed to heterotrophic denitrification. However, the Δδ18O: Δδ15N trajectory at the shallower, irregularly saturated site at 2 m shows a more complicated relationship best explained by the cyclic production of NO3− via aerobic oxidation, and consumption via NO3− reduction.
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