On Nov. 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. The purpose of this legislation is evident in its name as it encompasses funding for “roads, bridges, railroads, airports, public transportation, access to broadband internet, and clean water” (Stradling, 2021). The revenue to support the $1.2 trillion Act will mainly result from “repurposing COVID-19 relief funds and unused unemployment benefits, delaying a Medicare rebate, and enacting stronger cryptocurrency reporting requirements" (Stradling, 2021). Although there are few provisions in this Act that will affect the average taxpayer, there are some that tax preparers should note.

The strength of a nation’s control of the fiscal economy affects not only the nation, but also individual citizens. How to develop, support and maintain a strong national economy that also affords the individual citizen a good standard of living has challenged economists over the past century and longer. This bachelor thesis examines whether the ideas of Ernst Wigforss, a former Swedish Minister of Finance (1933–1949), have had a long-term impact on Swedish fiscal policy. Wigforss has been relatively ignored in research, and this bachelor’s thesis also aims to redress this neglect. To address the question of Wigforss’ impact during the 20th century, an idea analysis at three points in time (1937, 1973 and 1997) has been conducted. These dates were picked out from an interpretive framework as represented historical points during the 20th century coupled with clear transformations in fiscal policy. The empirical data that was the base for the analysis were Wigforss ideas and Swedish parliamentary papers. This analysis shows that Wigforss’ fiscal ideas and specifically his thoughts relating to the important of a policy supporting expansive fiscal policy played a major role in Sweden’s fiscal policy until the end of the 1990s. Yet, after the fiscal policy reform in 1997, the ideas of Wigforss are no longer evident in the development or the presentation of Swedish fiscal policy.

The increasing length of the daily commute is a major issue for many commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). In order to alleviate this problem through policy, the policy makers require more in-depth understanding of this issue. This study explores different travel behaviour, socioeconomic and labour market determinants of commuting distance for resident workers in the GTHA, especially those having normal commutes and those having extreme commutes. This study also explores which areas of the GTHA are most self-contained, and what are the average commuting distances of each sub-region of the GTHA. The primary data source for this study was Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS) for the year 2011. Supplementary data were obtained from InfoCanada and Statistics Canada. Descriptive analysis in this study, focused at the Census Sub-Division (CSD), examined self-containment, outbound commutes, inbound commutes, resident employees and jobs densities, and average commute distances for place of residence and place of work. Study results showed that Toronto and Hamilton CSDs are the most self-contained areas in the GTHA, whereas areas located in the north and northwest of Toronto are major sources of outgoing commutes. Toronto and its adjacent CSDs have the lowest average commuting distance, whereas residents of Georgina and Brock commute exceptionally long distances. Multivariate regression analyses were applied to a disaggregate dataset (TTS). Workers older than 15 years of age living in the GTHA were divided into two major categories based on the length of their commute: (i) normal commuters (those having a mean commuting distance of 10.8 km) and (ii) extreme commuters (those having a mean commuting distance of 40.9 km). Factors affecting commuting distance for these two groups were examined. Similarly, residents living and working in the GTHA were divided into two categories: Resident workers living in (i) Jobs-rich areas or (ii) Resident-rich areas. Factors affecting commuting distance of these resident workers were also examined. The key controlling factors of commuting distance include gender, age, mode of transportation, employment status, ratio of jobs to employed residents, age of youngest child, auto availability in household, multi-worker household, median income, jobs and population density, and distance from CBD. Significant socioeconomic, travel behaviour and land use determinants for normal commute distances were also applicable to extreme commute distance. Transit was the preferred mode of transportation for long distance commuters in the GTHA, except for those living in job-rich areas. Workers associated with Sales and Service occupation and living in jobs-rich areas exhibited shorter commute than those in General/Clerical occupation. These findings are important to understand the changing travel patterns and behaviours of commuters in the GTHA. These results will be of interest to transportation planners, engineers, and policy makers as it highlights the inclination of long distance commuters to use transit. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This study examines the jobs-housing balance and the excess commute of Saturn employees in Spring Hill. Until recently, the number of jobs has greatly exceeded the number of houses. In 2005 the balance is about even, however many newer residents are believed to be people who work in Nashville. Many Saturn employees live on the outskirts of Spring Hill and must commute longer distances to work. A spatial analysis using GIS of employee home locations shows that 74% of employees commute is in excess compared to if employees actually lived within Spring Hill. Surveys of Saturn employees shows traffic en route to work is a major frustration. It is suggested that future housing development in Spring Hill occur closer to Saturn. This will equilibrate the jobs-housing balance and will reduce the excess commute. Other Southern towns may wish to consider these results when planning for the development of automobile manufacturers.

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The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) currently requires that all persons seeking a commercial driver's license for interstate commerce possess a certain minimal level of hearing. After an extensive literature review on topics related to hearing and driving, a human factors engineering approach was used to evaluate the appropriateness of this hearing requirement, the methods currently specified to test drivers' hearing, and the appropriate hearing levels required. Task analysis, audiometry, dosimetry, in-cab noise measurements, and analytical prediction of both speech intelligibility and masked thresholds were all used in performing the evaluation. One of the methods currently used to test truck driver hearing, the forced-whisper test, was also evaluated in a laboratory experiment in order to compare its effectiveness to that of standard pure-tone audiometry. Results indicated that there are truck driving tasks which require the use of hearing, that truck drivers may be suffering permanent hearing loss as a result of driving, that team drivers may be approaching a 100% OSHA noise dose over 24 hours, and that truck-cab noise severely compromises the intelligibility of live and CB speech, as well as the audibility of most internal and external warning signals. The forced whisper experiment demonstrated that there is significant variability in the sound pressure level of whispers produced using this technique (in the words, word types, and trials main effects). The test was found to be repeatable for a group of listeners with good hearing, but was found to have only a weak relationship to the results of pure-tone audiometry for a group of 21 subjects with hearing levels ranging from good to very poor. Several truck cab and warning signal design changes, as well as regulatory changes, were recommended based on the overall results of this evaluation. / Ph. D.

Avec la vague des départs à la retraite amorcée par la génération des baby-boomers, le marché du travail canadien traversera inéluctablement une période de transition. Le vide laissé par ces départs obligera de nombreuses industries à réajuster leur tir afin de ne pas être secouées par de trop fortes turbulences. À cet effet, l’impact des retraites n’aura pas la même ampleur pour chacune des branches d’activité. S’appuyant sur les données longitudinales de l’Enquête sur la dynamique du travail et du revenu de 1993 à 2010, cette recherche analyse les tendances au fil du temps et entre les industries en regard des départs d’emploi de carrière. Une attention particulière est aussi portée aux emplois de transition selon le secteur d’activité, afin de déterminer si cette pratique peut amoindrir les répercussions des départs d’emploi de carrière. Les résultats montrent que l’intensité des départs d’emploi de carrière s’accroit au cours de la période considérée et que d’importantes variations existent entre les travailleurs des diverses catégories d’industries examinées. L’industrie des services professionnels, scientifiques et techniques affiche la plus faible proportion de travailleurs ayant quitté un emploi de carrière (26 %). À l’autre extrémité du spectre, les travailleurs du secteur de l’hébergement et des services de restauration présentent la plus forte probabilité d’effectuer un départ d’emploi de carrière (47 %). Au chapitre des emplois de transition, les travailleurs en provenance l’industrie de la construction montrent la plus forte propension à oeuvrer au sein d’un tel type d’emploi. Si certaines industries se démarquent des autres, cela s’explique surtout en raison du comportement différentiel des travailleurs les plus âgés (55 à 64 ans). / With the Baby-boom generation entering upon a retirement wave, the Canadian labour force will ineluctably go through a transition period. Those departures will leave a vacuum that will force many industries to readjust in order to avoid heavy turbulences. The impact of the retirement wave will not have the same impact for each of the industries. Using longitudinal data from the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics for years 1993 to 2010, this study analyzes trends over time and across industries regarding workers leaving a career job. A particular attention will also be paid to bridge jobs by industry, in order to determine if this type of work may lessen the effects of the loss of many career jobs. The results show that workers are increasingly leaving career jobs during the period under review and that considerable variations exist between workers of various industries. The industry of Professional, Scientific and Technical Services shows the smallest proportion of workers that have left a career job (26%). Conversely, the highest probability of leaving a career job was recorded among workers of the Accommodation and Food Services industry (47%). Regarding bridge jobs, workers coming from the Construction industry have the greatest propensity to start such a type of work after leaving a career job. If some industries stand out from all the others, this is largely attributable to the distinct behaviour of the eldest workers (55 to 64 years old).