Abstract
Quick story: When I went on the Today Show with host Bryant Gumbel way back in 1983, 1 prepared for the following kind of question: "Tell me, Professor [Andrew Hahn], aren't summer jobs programs just 'fire insurance' aimed more at keeping kids off the streets than at learning on the job?" When he asked the question, I, of course, made a feigned attempt to look shocked, trying my hardest to make Bryant a tad uncomfortable for a question that suggested that this was really all about summer rioting - as in the Watts riots of 1965 - and what kinds of urban unrest "those kids" (you know, "those minority kids") might initiate. Another confession: We adults were caught snoozing when the U.S. General Accounting Office reported from its investigations in the 1980s that some worksites were of poor quality One television story found young people resting under a tree smoking a joint during the work assignment. This contributed to the "make-work" charge that the Labor Department then worked hard, and mostly successfully, to contain through excellent oversight, technical assistance and monitoring. Gearing up this year for a million jobs will be no easy task - and doubtless there will be some abuses - but now we have experience. The workforce development field has matured, and many techniques exist to address any make-work challenge. Consider, too, that expanded meaningful work options may be available in this era of renewed attention to infrastruc- ture, green jobs and sound shovelready projects.