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Title: The Failure of Equal Rights Policy? Explanations for the Declining Economic Wellbeing of People with Disabilities in the United States, 1992-2010
Citation Type: Conference Paper
Publication Year: 2012
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Abstract: Although the ADA was passed in 1990 to address, in large part, the decreasing employment rate and economic wellbeing of persons with disabilities - twenty-years later - the trend has not reversed. We identify five main arguments that have been offered in the literature as to why this is the case. They are: (1) the unintended consequences argument, (2) the judicial resistance argument, (3) the capitalist structure argument, (4) the attitudes and norms argument, and (5) the welfare and government benefits argument. Drawing from these arguments, we analyze pooled Current Population Survey data from 1992 through 2010 using multilevel varying-intercept models. We find that indeed, employment conditions for persons with disabilities have actually worsened since the ADA was passed. In addition, employed persons with disabilities have seen very little change in earnings, even after controlling for differences in demographic and education variables. We also find that in states that did not pass their own ADA-like legislation, the employment rate for people with disabilities was about 5 percentage points lower as were disability earnings. We find ambiguous results with regards to the relationship between EEOC charges and employment suggesting that the effects of fear of persecution on employment is not that clear cut. These findings suggest that ADA-like laws may not be producing unintended consequences. We do, however find support for our fifth explanation related to state spending on benefits for the disabled population, where increases in spending results in potential disincentives for employment.
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Authors: Pettinicchio, David; Maroto, Michelle
Conference Name: American Sociological Association
Publisher Location: Denver, CO
Data Collections: IPUMS CPS
Topics: Aging and Retirement, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Poverty and Welfare
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