Current Research Interests

2006-2007

Currently I am working on a book-length manuscript on project labor agreements in construction with Matt Bodah of the University of Rhode Island and Dale Belman of Michigan State University. We hope to have this work done by the end of 2007. Also, I am finishing a couple of journal articles on prevailing wage regulations and school construction costs with Kevin Duncan of Colorado State University at Pueblo and Mark Prus of SUNY Cortland. JaeWhan Kim and I will soon submit a paper based on his dissertation work concerning the role of health insurance in retaining trained workers in the construction industry.

My new research area concerns immigrants in the construction industry. My student Charamporn Holumyong is completing her dissertation on the relative utilization of unemployment benefits by native and foreign born construction workers, and I have learned much from her work. Next year I will be on sabbatical, and while wrapping up work that is “in the pipe,” I will be doing field work in California on immigrants in the California construction labor force. I am also working with Sheng Li, Assistant Professor of Economics and Finance at the Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, on a separate avenue of research regarding bidding practices in construction. Sheng and I have two papers under review and plan a multi-year program of study that may segue into studying construction issues in China.