The effects of Wal-Mart on local labor markets

We estimate the effects of Wal-Mart stores on county-level retail employment and earnings, accounting for endogeneity of the location and timing of Wal-Mart openings that most likely biases the evidence against finding adverse effects of Wal-Mart stores. We address the endogeneity problem using a natural instrumental variables approach that arises from the geographic and time pattern of the opening of Wal-Mart stores, which slowly spread out from the first stores in Arkansas. The employment results indicate that a Wal-Mart store opening reduces county-level retail employment by about 150 workers, implying that each Wal-Mart worker replaces approximately 1.4 retail workers. This represents a 2.7 percent reduction in average retail employment. The payroll results indicate that Wal-Mart store openings lead to declines in county-level retail earnings of about $1.4 million, or 1.5 percent. Of course, these effects occurred against a backdrop of rising retail employment, and only imply lower retail employment growth than would have occurred absent the effects of Wal-Mart

Gas Chromatographic Determination of Butachlor in Formulations: Collaborative Study

Abstract An isothermal gas chromatographic (GC) method for measuring butachlor in formulations was tested by 15 laboratories. Samples were prepared in acetone and determined using a GC column of 10% SP-2250 on 100-120 mesh Supelcoport, and triphenyl phosphate as internal standard. Collaborators made single determinations on each of 2 similar materials (matched pairs) on 2 days for 2 pairs of samples. The study generated 56 matched pairs which were used in Youden’s matched pair calculations. Coefficients of variation (CV,) for liquid formulations were 1.06 and 0.98%. The method was simple to use and did not reveal any interferences in the samples tested. The method has been adopted official first action as an AOAC-CIPAC method.</jats:p