Leaving Welfare: Independence or Continued Vulnerability?

Data from two semi‐structured interviews gathered approximately six months apart from seven women who were receiving cash welfare benefits at the time of the first interview and were not receiving benefits at the second interview were used to analyze the experiences of leaving welfare. Emergent themes about the post‐welfare experience are: (1) the low wages and lack of advancement opportunities in jobs, (2) confusion related to program administration, (3) the continued reliance on income support programs and kin, and (4) the banking of cash benefits under the five‐year time limit as a new safety net.     

Determinants of household expected real income growth in the U.S.A.

This study explores factors related to household income growth in a two-period timeframe. using data from the 1983 and I986 Survey of Consumer Finances. Regression results explain 81% of the variation in household income. Household income in the first period, age, marital status, education, job status and occupation were found to be important determinants of various levels of household real income growth. Implications for consumer education, financial planning, family economics and welfare policy are discussed.     

Use of Food Pantries and Food Stamps in Low‐Income Households in the United States

Using the Current Population Survey data for 1999, a bivariate probit model was estimated to determine food stamp and food pantries participation for low‐income households. Household income, the level of food insecurity, household structure, and metro versus nonmetro residence affected participation decisions in both programs. Shorter application forms for food stamp benefits encouraged food stamp participation. Food Stamp Program participation and food pantry use were found to be positively correlated.     

Does Payday Lending Hurt Food Security in Low‐Income Households?

During the study period of 2005–2011, household food insecurity rates as well as regulations over payday lending industry increased in the United States. This study evaluates the association between access to payday lending and the risk of food insecurity using cross‐sectional samples of low‐income households from the 2005 to 2011 Food Security Supplements of the Current Population Survey. The study uses county‐level payday lender density, state‐level legislative status, and county border indicators of cross‐state payday access to examine how payday lender availability affects household food insecurity. The findings suggest that access to payday lending, which may be presumed to provide convenient short‐term credit to underserved consumers, increases the likelihood of household food insecurity by 2.8–6.0 percentage points in absolute terms. Furthermore, the county border effect of payday access has become insignificant later in the sample period, the potential reasons for which are discussed.     

Use of 12 groups of foods in households differing in size,income and receipt of food stamps

Using data from the Nationwide Food Consumption Surrey, 1977–78, this study assessed the influence of household size and composition, household income, and eligibility/participation in the Food Stamp Programme (FSP) on the weekly money value of specified food groups used from the household food supply. Mean money values of foods by food groups were calculated for various sample partitions and proportions of total food value allocated to the 12 specified food groups were analysed using ordinary least squares regression. Results indicated that household size had a statistically significant impact on household food consumption patterns. As per capita household income increased, percentage allocations to high-cost meats and beverages generally increased while percentage allocations for the other 10 food groups decreased. The money value of food used per equivalent food energy need increased with decreasing household size and with increasing per capita household income. These relationships occurred for total food and for most of the specified food groups. Households that participated in the FSP used food with higher money value per-equivalent food energy need than did households who were eligible but did not participate in the FSP.     

中国社会福利体系适度性研究——国际比较与实证分析

社会福利体系是影响经济可持续发展和社会安定的重要因素。政府在社会福利体系中起主导作用,但存在福利支出的适度性问题,福利过度或不足均不利于经济社会发展。本文对中国与OECD的社会福利体系做了比较,并选取美国等OECD七国和中国1980-2007年的数据作为样本开展实证分析。研究发现:(1)结合发达国家的经验,现阶段我国的社会福利总支出、养老保险支出和健康福利支出偏低;(2)但收入维持支出(即最低生活保障支出)却超前于经济发展水平和政府财力;(3)失业福利支出是否适度,不同分析方法得出了不同结论,有待进一步分析。     

Globalisation and Poverty in Latin America: Some Channels and Some Evidence

This paper provides an overview of the main mechanisms through which globalisation can affect poverty and household welfare in Latin America and presents supporting evidence from different case studies in the region. One case study explores the impacts of agricultural trade liberalisation in world markets on poverty in Argentina, with an emphasis on labour income effects via real wages. The second case study examines the impacts of CAFTA on net producers and net consumers among the indigenous population in Guatemala. The analysis explores short‐run impacts as well as medium‐run impacts as households adjust farm decisions. Finally, a last exercise is set up to study the role of agricultural liberalisation on wages, employment and unemployment when there are frictions in labour markets. These case studies show that the impacts of trade on developing countries are heterogeneous. In Argentina, there are gains from liberalisation of world agriculture and higher food prices. In Guatemala, instead, the indigenous population would benefit from lower food prices. It is clear that household adjustments and complementary factors are fundamental ingredients of any reasonable evaluation of the welfare impacts of trade reforms.     

The Causal Effects of Income Support and Housing Benefits on Mental Well‐Being: An Application of a Bayesian Network

This study explores the causal effects of air pollution, income support, housing benefits and household income on the subjective mental well‐being in United Kingdom (UK). Additionally, the analysis considers the effects of air pollution and weather conditions. The estimates are based on data from the British Household Panel Survey. The results show that those who are unemployed or who have a low income and who claim the benefits report higher levels of mental well‐being than those who do not claim them. Moreover, the marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for an improvement on air quality are lower in the case of the Bayesian Network.     

Presence of children and household food expenditures at home and away from home

Households with children spend more on food at home than do households without children. On the other hand, compared with households without children, households with children who are at least 12 years of age are associated with higher expenditures on food away from home expenditures. Households with employed spouses are associated with lower expenditures on food at home. Other determinants of expenditures on food at home are seasonality, house ownership, region, household size, education, age and income. House ownership, region, household size, race, education and income also affect expenditures on food away from home.     

Changing household formation patterns: implications for consumption and nutrition

The effects of anticipated changes in the composition of U.S. households on food consumption patterns and on levels of nutrition are projected to the year 1995. Despite rather substantial demographic shifts, the estimated impact on aggregate food budget shares is small for 13 aggregated food groups. Stratification of cross-sectional data by income and household composition is important to identify potential household groups at risk with respect to selected nutrition categories. Results from this analysis are useful in developing policies which can be geared to target those groups deficient in nutritional intake.     

Engel curves and the unitary theory of the household

Previously unutilized household budget data are used to fit Engel curves to test Gary Becker's unitary theory of the household. If resources are fungible and are allocated to maximize a household utility function, the pattern of outlay should be invariant to control over and sources of income. The earnings of wives and Engel curves for food, rent, clothing, light and fuel, insurance and sundries are estimated using the two‐step method of Murphy and Topel. Although working wives contributed an average of 20% of household income, the coefficient of their earnings is not significant in every Engel curve estimated. It appears that Becker's altruist head of the household is the housewife/financial manager, at least in New York City in the early twentieth century.     

Factors Influencing Consumption of New Food Products and Specialty Meat

Results from a consumer survey of households in Louisiana and Texas suggest that socioeconomic factors affect consumption decisions on new food products, quail, alligator, or deer meat. Specifically, consumption of, or interest in consuming new food products are statistically associated with marital status, age, education, household size and income, race, religon, and occupation. The above-referenced socio-economic characteristics are all statistically associated with consumption decisions on qualiy and alligator meat, except for marital status and household size. Race and occupation are statistically associated with the consumption of, or interest in consuming deer meat.     

Mobile Telephony,Financial Inclusion and Inclusive Growth

ABSTRACT

The paper employs the multipurpose nature of mobile telephony to investigate its welfare implications using a large sample of households in Ghana. We use seemingly unrelated probit and instrumental variable procedure to test for two related issues: First, we investigate whether mobile telephony promotes pro-poor development by helping households to efficiently allocate consumption and navigate out of poverty. Second, we analyze whether access to a broad array of financial services enhances the capacity of households to live worthwhile lives. The results show that mobile penetration and financial inclusion significantly reduce the probability of a household becoming poor and increase per capita household consumption of food and non-food items. Our results show that the welfare benefits of mobile telephony and financial inclusion are not more pronounced in female-headed households. These insights serve as useful guide for government and other stakeholders who are looking for avenues to improve livelihoods.     

Distributional Effects of Lower Food Prices in a Rich Country

Controlling for differences in taxes and transportation costs, the Nordic Competition Authorities claims, in a report from 2005, that food prices are 11% higher in Sweden compared to the EU-15 countries. One explanation for this put forward in the report is the limited competition on this market which suggests there to be a potential for lower food prices. This paper focuses on distributional effects of a price decrease on food. Based on a simple model of household utility, the households demand for food is derived and estimated. Price and income elasticities for different income groups are then calculated based on these parameter estimates. Our results suggest that food is a normal good with an average income elasticity of approximately 0.18 and a price elasticity of 0.45. In addition, and of importance from a policy perspective, the results indicate the income elasticity to differ across income groups while price elasticities are constant.     

贸易对收入分配影响研究的最新进展及其评论

随着近年来保护贸易的盛行与收入差距持续扩大,国际贸易对收入分配的影响成为国际经济学领域的研究热点。本文从国际贸易对一国整体收入水平以及国内收入差距的影响两个角度介绍了近年来这方面理论的最新进展及趋势。尽管各理论分析角度、模型设计以及数据运用各不相同,但结论趋于一致,即自由贸易会带来一国整体收入的提高,但也会导致收入差距的扩大,因此保护贸易政策会损害到一国整体福利,自由贸易导致收入差距的扩大可通过适当国内再分配政策进行调节。     

Secondary household production of food: the influence of home meal preparation on food expenditures and reported adequacy

A path model was tested to ascertain the relationships between certain socio-economic and demographic variables, the percentage of household meals prepared and eaten at home (secondary household production), food expenditures, and the household's reported adequacy of food consumed. Significant positive predictors of secondary household production of food were the age of the head and household size. Negative predictors were education of the head, income of the head(s) and number of hours worked by the household head(s). By far the most important predictor was the number of hours worked. The strongest predictor of food expenditures was household size. Other positive predictors were income of the head(s), number of household heads and the degree of urbanization. Negatively affecting food expenditures was secondary household production of food, indicating the ‘saving’ effect of preparing meals at home. The household's reported adequacy of their food was predicted by the positive effect of education of the head, age of the head, tenure, hours worked by the head(s) and number of household heads. Although the number of hours the heads are employed decreased the percentage of meals prepared at home, and the percentage of meals at home negatively affected expenditures, the number of employment hours had no effect on food expenditures.     

Budget Allocation Patterns of U.S. Households across Income Levels in the 21st Century

This study examined the budget allocation patterns of U.S. households during the period 2000–2015. Four household groups—classified based on their income levels in relation to the federal poverty level—are used for the analyses. Data from the quarterly interview component of the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey were used in order to calculate households' annual expenditures in eight commodity groups: food, utilities, apparel and apparel services, transportation, medical care, shelter and household operations, other nondurable expenditures and services, and durable goods. An exact affine stone index (EASI) demand system was used to estimate demand relationships (i.e., price, income elasticities, and marginal effects). Overall, we find that budget allocation, consumers' responses to changes in prices and income, and the effects of sociodemographic characteristics on spending can be markedly different between income groups. The use of a representative or average household for demand analyses can mask substantial differences in economic behaviors between these four income groups.     

The Distribution of U.S. Income and Food Expenditures

Food expenditure and income distributions over 1980–1985 are examined using two welfare criteria: less inequality and more available resources. Intertemporal changes in the distributions are studied from the perspectives of inequality, relative economic affluence, society's satisfaction with the distributions, asymmetries, and average propensities to spend. Major conclusions are that inequality has increased over time in both the income and food spending distributions, relative economic affluence has generally risen, society is less satisfied with the food spending distribution, and average propensities to spend on food have been constant.     

Are Apparel Trade Restrictions Regressive?

Consumer welfare losses from apparel trade restrictions are estimated across different household income levels using Hicksian Equivalent Variations. The 1980–1992 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the 1980–1992 Consumer Price Index, and the 1990 ACCRA Cost of Living Index were used. For price differences under 45 percent, consumer welfare loss from higher apparel prices due to trade restrictions is greater as a percent of total expenditures for wealthy households than for poor households. Apparel trade restrictions, therefore, have a progressive effect.     

Parental financial support: A safety net for young adults with debt problems

Parental financial support benefits young adults in societies with decreasing welfare‐state support and a pattern of early home‐leaving. This article focuses on the association between young adults’ debt problems and parental financial support: the extent to which indebted young adults receive financial help from their parents. We also investigate the extent to which specific benefits are associated with debt problems or parental financial support. The data were gathered in an online survey conducted among 18‐to‐35‐year‐old Finns (n = 1,019). The results revealed, first, that many parents safeguard their indebted adult children’s lives by means of financial support and second, that heavy cash‐welfare‐benefit users are particularly likely to receive parental financial support. Our analysis also revealed that the prevalence of debt problems as well as of parental financial support were especially high among those who had received social assistance, sickness benefit or labour‐market subsidy within the previous 12 months. In a society open to new social risks as well as to debt problems, young people who lack financial support from their parents have a rockier transition to adulthood than those who receive support.