Higher Risk Of Poverty Research Articles

Changes in Family Composition

This article discusses the consequences of family composition for poverty and income and its implications for policy. Marriage rates are declining, rates of nonmarital births are increasing (both poverty-increasing), while families are smaller, and there are more working mothers (both poverty-decreasing). Marriage remains less likely and nonmarital births more common for blacks than for whites and Hispanics, though even among whites, 36 percent of births were to unmarried mothers by 2011. On the other hand, divergent patterns across education groups are more common: marriage rates have continued to fall, but not for women with college degrees. Men’s earnings have fallen, and, after an increase, women’s have also declined—though less so for those with bachelor’s degrees. The article also discusses policy responses designed to reduce nonmarital childbearing (potentially reducing the number of children and families at high risk of poverty) and to help single-mother families (reducing the risk of poverty faced by such families).

Cracks in a policy paradigm – poverty reduction and social security: the case of Belgium

Poverty reduction rests on the mechanisms of horizontal and vertical solidarity and on prevention and repair of social risks. In this contribution, we argue that in contemporary welfare states the poverty-reducing capacity of existing social security systems has inherent limitations. Focusing on Belgium, we present and discuss empirical indications of a persistent (over a period of at least 30 years) decline in poverty reduction through social transfers, particularly among households who are highly dependent on such transfers. Firstly, we show that prevention and repair have failed to contribute to a reduction in the proportion of work-poor households who are highly dependent upon social security and face a high (rising even) poverty risk. Secondly, we find that given the fragmentation of social risks – in terms of both ex post poverty outcomes and ex ante social stratification – horizontal redistributive mechanisms through risk pooling have become less obvious, especially in respect of unemployment. Thirdly, it appears that the mechanisms of vertical solidarity also face inherent limitations. In a final section we summarise some important research questions for the future and potentially worthwhile policy avenues to resolve the question of how social policy-making might succeed in the future where it has failed in the past.

What socio-demographic factors influence poverty and financial health care access among disabled people in Flanders: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundCurrent literature shows that people with a disability have a lower income than people without a disability. Disabled people often experience difficulties with health care access.The objective of this study is to assess the current financial situation and poverty rate amongst disabled people in Flanders. Furthermore we wanted to analyze factors that contribute to the risk of poverty and problems with financial health care access in adult people with a disability in Flanders.MethodsAn online and paper survey were constructed and made available through two large organizations for people with different types of disability in Flanders. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were performed.ResultsIn this convenience sample, 20.9% of the 889 respondents live under the poverty threshold. Important contributing factors to the risk of poverty are having children (OR 3.43, 95% CI 2.10-5.59) and a low level of dependence (OR 16.40, 95% CI 6.21-43.28). 25.2% of the respondents did not access health care because of financial shortcomings. A low level of dependence is one important contributing factor (OR 3.16, 95% CI 1.41-6.98) to limited financial health care access.ConclusionThis research confirms that disability is associated with a higher risk of poverty and impaired financial health care access.

The Problems of People with Disability in Indonesia and What Is Being Learned from the World Report on Disability

Recent epidemiologic findings indicate that 1.8% of the Indonesian population "have extreme problems" and 19.5% "have problems" in various aspects of their ability to carry out daily activities. People with disability (PWD) have a high risk for poverty in Indonesia, and there are strong prejudices that presume unproductivity and dependency. Disability policies are integrated through a National Plan of Action. However, the existing number of human resources in the field of medical rehabilitation is still too low compared with the existing needs. This is true also for the budget for rehabilitation services. Several issues are identified that need action to improve the inclusion of PWD and to ensure their dignity including supporting a perception of PWD as active and equal citizens, assessing accurate data about the disability prevalence, strengthening organizations of PWD, building educational capacities for PWD, developing preventive strategies, and international cooperation.

Measuring Precarious Employment: A Proposal for Two Indicators of Precarious Employment Based on Set-Theory and Tested with Dutch Labor Market-Data

Scholars claim that precarious employment is rising. The precariously employed earn low wages, have little job- and income security and occupy jobs that can generally be deemed low quality. These employees are at a disproportionally high risk of poverty and are at risk of detrimental psychological effects. Despite the salience of the issue, precarious employment remains an elusive concept and has proven difficult to measure directly. Instead, measurement tends to rely on non-integrated indicators and proxies, thus introducing significant issues concerning the validity of found results. This paper proposes two integrated indicators for specific aspects of precarious employment. Indicator 1 focuses on income insecurity and is constructed using wage, supplementary income and unemployment benefit entitlements. Indicator 2 focuses on job insecurity and is constructed using contract type and unemployment duration. Additionally, to check for the coexistence of job- and income insecurity at the individual level and give a more holistic picture of precarious employment, Indicators 1 and 2 are integrated. First, previous research on precarious employment and job insecurity is reviewed to bolster the indicators’ validity. Second, the indicators are constructed using an approach grounded in crisp-set theory and data from the Dutch “Organisatie Strategisch Arbeidsmartkonderzoek” labor supply panel. Finally, the indicators are tested by assessing precarious employment over time, by educational level, sector and immigrant status.

Socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality in the Czech Republic, Russia, Poland and Lithuania in the 2000s

In all three countries, non-employed people with LLSI had considerably higher poverty risk than employed people, with or without LLSI, in both time periods. Rates of poverty risk in UK for non-employed people with LLSI were much higher than in Sweden and Denmark in both years, but showed no significant change between 2005 and 2010 (38.6% CI = 35.641.2 in 2005; 35.1% CI = 31.6-38.7 in 2010). In contrast, the previously low rates of poverty risks in corresponding groups in Sweden in 2005 (13.8% CI = 9.7-17.8) had nearly doubled by 2010 (26.5% CI = 19.9-33.1). There was a non-significant increase in the previously low rates of poverty risks in Denmark (11.0% CI = 6.3-15.7) to 16.4% CI = 11.1-21.8). The increase of poverty risk in Sweden was more pronounced among men than women. Conclusions The increasing poverty risks among the non-employed people with LLSI in Sweden over time are of concern from a health equity perspective. The role of recent Swedish social policy changes should be further investigated. Key messages Poverty risks among non-employed people with LLSI in Sweden show a disturbing rising trend, not seen in Denmark or United Kingdom. Further investigation is warranted of the impact of recent Swedish policy changes among vulnerable groups.

INDIAN YOUTH POVERTY: A DISTRICT LEVEL ANALYSIS

India made significant progress on reducing poverty between 1981 and 2001. The number of poor population living on less than US$1 a day has declined, but it needs considerable attention for antipoverty policy formulation. Estimating the Gini Coefficients for various age groups in four most populated states Uttarpradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and West Bengal in India by district level reveals that youth population are at risk. Youth poverty among these states deserves special attention for several reasons. First, economicallydeprived youth are not only a high risk for poverty themselves but also for the whole society. Second, once youth enter into poverty, it is hard for them to come out from this insufficiency of basic needs. Youth who are growing up in poor families are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors like early pregnancy, college absenteeism, and early entrance in the job market. Following Tokel and Huffman model, for any geographic area, labor and wage depend on the existing stock of human capital, local labor market conditions, macroeconomic conditions, local amenities, the age and caste of distribution of the population and various socioeconomic variables. We apply the multinomial logit model and proportional functional form for different socioeconomic & demographical characteristics to evaluate youth poverty in these four states in India. The paper determines the factors affecting youth poverty, employing district level data Analysis of the results conclude that rural youth population need more attention than urban youth population, agricultural industry need better infrastructure, educational program is essential to eradicate youth poverty from these states in India. Appropriate suggestions by the policymakers will limit the youth poverty in these four states. This paper is actually a baseline study for the initiation of a research for youth poverty in India, on the basis of which we can further proceed that whether policies implemented after this census were proper or not and what is the reflection of those policies in the next census. Key words: young adult, poverty, India

To Wed or to Work? Assessing Work and Marriage as Routes Out of Poverty

Employment and marriage are the two primary strategies touted by the government to address the feminization of poverty. Using longitudinal data for 1992 to 2001 from the Survey of Program Dynamics and multilevel models for change, this article analyzes the relative success rates of each of these strategies, as well as racial-ethnic differences in the effects of each on women's household incomes among women at high risk of poverty. Results suggest that marriage and employment improve mothers' household income, but that racial-ethnic differences persist. The authors also find that part-time work does not improve household economic well-being.

Explaining heterogeneity in the child poverty rate among immigrant families: Differences by parental citizenship

Abstract Much of the debate about child poverty among immigrant families has centered on factors that place immigrant children at a high risk for poverty. What is missing in this debate and the literature is that children in immigrant families are economically heterogeneous and that children in naturalized families are doing as well as or better than children in native families in terms of economic status. To examine the heterogeneous economic status of children in immigrant families, this study compared children's poverty rates by parental nativity and citizenship status, decomposing demographic risk factors of child poverty. The results indicate that whereas lower parental education and employment status largely explain the relatively higher poverty rate among children in noncitizen families, higher parental education and employment rates and a lower rate of single parenthood explain why children in naturalized families have a lower rate of poverty than those in noncitizen families. Implications of these findings are discussed in detail.

Rodni aspekti siromaštva

Research on poverty indicate that women are more at risk to poverty . Women far different experience poverty than men. Higher risk of poverty among women is the result of the unequal status of women in the labor market, lower wages and less opportunities for improvement in career. Greater responsibility of women in relation to obligations regarding care of children and adults who are unable to care for themselves, exposing women to greater risk of poverty . Depending on the appearance of women than men, creating an ideological framework that can increase the chances of poverty among women. This paper aims to highlight the socio -cultural context of the problem of poverty from a gender point of view. To this end, this paper will focus on the deeply rooted stereotypes and prejudices in relation to the division of labor by gender, as one of the key factors contributing to women are at greater risk of impoverishment.

Poverty and Headship in Post-apartheid South Africa, 1997–2006

In this paper, I investigate the characteristics and poverty status of female- and male-headed households in South Africa using nationally representative household survey data from the October Household Surveys (1997 and 1999) and the General Household Surveys (2004 and 2006). This decade (1997–2006) represents a period for which there is an extensive poverty literature documenting (particularly in the 2000 s) an overall decrease in the poverty headcount rate. At the same time, however, there is evidence to suggest that female-headed households have a far higher risk of poverty and that the poverty differential between female- and male-headed households widened over the period. The aim of this paper is to identify some of the main reasons that female-headed households are more vulnerable to poverty in post-apartheid South Africa and why poverty has decreased by more in male-headed households (relative to female-headed households). The study examines the key features which distinguish female- and male-headed households and whether these have changed over time. In order to link these characteristics with the poverty differential between female- and male-headed households, I then examine whether (and by how much) controlling for the observable differences between female- and male-headed households reduces the significantly greater risk of poverty in female-headed households.

THE EUROPEAN WORLD OF TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT

Departing from growing concerns about in-work poverty and the proliferation of flexible employment, we investigate the association between temporary employment and poverty in a European comparative perspective. In doing so, we focus specifically on possible gender dimensions, because some are concerned that the impact of flexible employment on income security will be different for men and women and that gender inequality will increase. By means of a logistic multilevel model, we analyse recent EU-SILC data for 24 European countries. The results show that the temporarily employed have a higher poverty risk vis-à-vis permanent workers, mainly caused by lower wages. However, the risk factors to become working poor are similar. The poorly educated, young workers and those living in a single earner household with dependent children have an increased probability to live in poverty, whether they are employed on temporary or permanent basis. Differences between European welfare regimes demonstrate that policy constellations influence the magnitude of these risk factors. Counter-intuitively, temporary working women have a lower poverty risk than their male counterparts. They are better protected because they are more often secondary earners in a dual earning household, while men are more often primary earners. This article advances knowledge on the linkages between temporary employment, economic insecurity and gender differences in European welfare states.

Prevention: a cost-effective way to fight the non-communicable disease epidemic

The United Nations General Assembly has convened a Summit on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), an historic moment in the global combat of these disorders. Lifestyles in increasingly urban and globalised environments have led to a steep surge in NCD incidence in low and middle income countries, where two thirds of all NCD deaths occur (most importantly from cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease as well as diabetes). Treatment of NCDs is usually long term and expensive, thus threatening patients' and nations' budgets and putting them at high risk for poverty. The NCD Summit offers an opportunity for strengthening and shaping primary prevention, the most cost-effective instrument to fight major risk factors such as tobacco smoking, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. From a Swiss perspective, we also emphasised the efforts for new laws on prevention and diagnosis registration, in accordance with the recommendations of the NCD summit in order to strengthen primary prevention and disease monitoring. In addition, the need for structural prevention across all policy sectors with leadership in environmental policy making to prevent NCDs as well as the need to adapt and strengthen primary health care are equally relevant for Switzerland. To compliment efforts in primary prevention, the field of NCDs requires special R&D platforms for affordable NCD drugs and diagnostics for neglected population segments in both Switzerland and low and middle income countries. Switzerland has a track record in research and development against diseases of poverty on a global scale that now needs to be applied to NCDs.

The socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances of adult long‐term survivors of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in childhood

Socioeconomic factors such as education, employment, financial circumstances, marital status, and psychological well-being were investigated in 51 Swedish adults (age 19-42) surviving for at least five yr following pediatric allogeneic SCT (age at SCT 1-16 yr) using items derived from a Living Condition Survey (ULF). Psychological well-being and cognitive faculties were measured by HAD and SWED-QUAL. Socioeconomic data and marital status were compared with a norm group matched for gender and age, derived from the Swedish national population registry. Most subjects function well and lead normal lives, and they are nevertheless more likely than the norm to encounter problems with establishing themselves on the labor market. The SCT group demonstrated a lower level of employment, and the likelihood of having a disability pension was higher than in the normal population. Younger subjects and women encountered most financial difficulties and a higher risk of poverty. Cognitive difficulties intercorrelated both with inferior financial circumstances and with higher levels of anxiety and depression. These results indicate the importance of recognizing and attempting to tackle the possible cumulative disadvantage of problems that affect the adult following SCT in childhood.

Ideology and the Experience of Poverty Risk: Views About Poverty Within a Focus Group Design

This study analyzes the tension between ideological individualism with regard to views about poverty, versus the high social risk of poverty that prevails in the U.S. Because of this tension, we anticipate fissures and caveats to individualism, contingent on the individual's direct experience with poverty. Eight focus groups comprised of 80 individual respondents are interviewed across three communities in upstate New York, and the analysis confirms that individualism is the dominant attitude toward poverty. The article also identifies significant challenges to individualism, and that social stigma is a defining element within the experience of poverty.

Engaging High-Risk Young Mothers Into Effective Programming: The Importance of Relationships and Relentlessness

This article describes a model designed to engage very high-risk pregnant and parenting young mothers who are not traditionally served by home visiting or other young parent programs. These disengaged young mothers do not live in stable environments: they are street or gang involved, in danger of dropping out of school or have already dropped out, court involved, struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues, involved in domestic violence situations, and/or are isolated immigrants and refugees. They are at very high risk for long-term negative adult outcomes, including unemployment, systems involvement, and long-term poverty, increasing the likelihood of negatively affecting their children. This model utilizes engagement strategies to intentionally find these young mothers and retain them in programming over long periods of time. These engagement strategies, developed based on Prochaska's stages of change model, include relentless outreach, transformational relationships, and stage-based programming. Through the implementation of these strategies, 81 very high-risk young mothers were identified and served in the Circle of Care Project. The participant retention rate was 90%. Implications suggest that very high-risk young parents can be good candidates for programming to improve their lives and the lives of their children, as long as that programming is developmentally appropriate and incorporates a strong relationship-building component.

Chronic Poverty and Older People in the Developing World

The paper explores the relationship between old age and chronic poverty in the world, and the implications of this for achieving global targets for poverty reduction.For the majority of the world's older people, the meaning of old age is not a chronological definition but the changing roles accompanying physical change and reduced capacity to contribute or maintain a livelihood. As a result of trends towards lower fertility and mortality, populations are aging. Whilst this demographic transition is global, the growth in numbers and proportions of older people is most rapid in the so-called developing countries. In the absence of policies, infrastructure, services and information increasing numbers of people in the south are aging in poverty.Available evidence reviewed in this paper highlights three key features of chronic poverty in old age: it is strongly associated with reduced framework of capacity, it is a condition from which few if any can be expected to escape, and it is both caused by and perpetuates chronic intergenerational poverty. Opportunities to employ physical strength, often the most critical asset of poor people, are reduced in old age. Widespread institutional and social exclusion on the basis of age and gender represent formidable barriers for the poorest older people in their efforts to achieve income and social security, and crucially their health. The differential impacts of age on women and men is only beginning to be understood.Factors indicating high risk of chronic poverty for older women include their greater longevity and likelihood of widowhood, inequitable inheritance laws, and low access to education and health services, while risk factors for men in some communities include abrupt loss of status and low levels of support from children.A review of the actions of government, civil society and international agencies to address old age poverty indicates that aging is still distant from the overall social development agendas at all levels. Current poverty reduction measures and proposals have not sufficiently acknowledged the intergenerational dimension of poverty, nor has attention been paid to older people's own survival strategies. The paper argues that these are critical elements of any credible poverty reduction programme.

Following Families: Working Lone‐Mother Families and their Children

AbstractAnalysis of poverty dynamics based on large‐scale survey data shows that there is limited mobility across the income distribution for most individuals and families. This includes lone parents, who are one of the groups most likely to stay poor over time. This high income poverty risk is reduced for those lone parents who are in employment and who receive state financial support through tax credits to supplement their wages. But income security in work can be difficult to achieve. This article reports on longitudinal qualitative research which has involved repeat interviews with lone mothers and their children over a period of three to four years. The analysis explores the experiences of sustaining employment while living on a low, but complex, income and highlights the challenges faced in seeking financial security in this context.

No way out but working? Income dynamics of young retirees in Korea

ABSTRACTOlder people in Korea have a higher risk of poverty than younger adults, but the dynamics of income changes around the time of retirement have received little attention. This paper attempts to fill this gap by examining changes in the level and sources of income around the time of retirement, with retirement being defined as separation from one's main lifetime employment. It uses longitudinal data from the Korean Labour and Income Panel Study's Waves 1–9, and follows 580 younger retirees aged at least 50 years who retired during 1998–2005. The paper demonstrates that the prevalence of low income across the retirement transition was related to gender, previous career status and current working status. In particular, there was a noticeable increase in the prevalence of low income among permanent retirees compared to those who continued working in retirement. It also examines different factors associated with the individuals' economic wellbeing after retirement, and finds that working status in retirement is indeed the factor that most influences the probability of low-income entry among male retirees, while for women, the nature of co-residence with working household member(s) and household assets most mattered. From this, the paper concludes that being in paid work after retirement remains an important substitute for the immature old-age safety-net in Korea.

Preferences for the sex-composition of children in Europe: A multilevel examination of its effect on progression to a third child

Comparative research on the preferred sex of children in Western societies has generally focused on women only and ignored the role of gender equity and the need for children's economic support in old age. A multilevel analysis extends existing research by examining, for both men and women and across 24 European countries, the effect of the preferred sex-composition of offspring on whether parents have or intend to have a third child. Using the European Social Survey (2004/5), a multilevel (random coefficient) ordered logit regression of that intention (N=3,323) and a binary logistic multilevel model of the transition to a third child (N=6,502) demonstrate the presence of a mixed-sex preference. In countries with a high risk of poverty in old age, a preference for sons is found, particularly for men. In societies where there is lower gender equity, both men and women have a significant preference for boys.