Negative Effect Of Unemployment Research Articles

Exploring childhood malnutrition and household food security in Gauteng and Limpopo: Implications for social development processes

This paper provides insight into the relationship between child malnutrition and food security in two South African communities facing economic hardships. The research focused on Thulani, a township in Gauteng province, and Ga Masemola, a rural village in Limpopo province. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with mothers of children under five years. A key theme distilled from the data was the negative effects of unemployment, limited access to nutritious foods and coping strategies to alleviate food insecurity. The paper emphasises that suspending health and nutrition programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health inequalities and reversed progress in achieving SDGs 1-3. The paper emphasises the importance of social development processes in addressing childhood malnutrition's root causes. This includes providing services, working collaboratively with communities and development agencies to promote sustainable food systems and nutrition awareness, and connecting families with needed psychosocial support and financial assistance.

Unemployment and Social Integration: Analysing the Impact of Financial Strain, Social Roles, and Identity

Relations to family and friends are a key dimension of an individual’s social integration and, by extension, are crucial for the social cohesion of societies. Based on that principle, this study explores the effects of unemployment on close personal relations and asks whether negative effects of unemployment are primarily explicable as financial losses or social aspects of identity. This analytical approach goes beyond analysing the direct effects of unemployment through differentiating effects by gender, household composition, and individual work and family values. In doing so, it examines the channels through which unemployment has the potential to erode social relations.Individual fixed effects models based on German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data from 1990 to 2017 reveal that financial strain fails to explain the effects of unemployment on social relations. However, the results suggest that social identity is influential in shaping unemployment effects. Although men see a reduction in their personal relations when experiencing unemployment, women’s unemployment experiences do not affect the frequency of their social interactions. Moreover, the fact that unemployment leads to a reduction of men’s social contacts, particularly among those living with children, points to potential difficulties in performing the social role of the family provider. Finally, placing high importance on having children, partnership and caring for others mitigates negative unemployment effects for men.

Effects of postsecondary education on employment outcomes of youth with specific learning disabilities: A propensity score matching approach

BACKGROUND: Helping young adults with specific learning disabilities (SLD) attend college increases their chances of joining the workforce, which helps protect them from the negative effects of unemployment. OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether receiving vocational rehabilitation (VR) services of four-year college or university training would lead to improved employment outcomes for young adults with SLD. METHODS: Using the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)-911 database, a propensity score matching technique was employed to create a comparison group of young adults with SLD who did not receive college or university training for a treatment group of those who did. The quasi-experimental design investigated differences in the employment outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS: Findings revealed that the group who received college or university training was more likely to obtain competitive employment upon exit from the VR program than the matched comparison group who did not receive the training; youth with SLD who received college or university training and had secured competitive employment at the time of exit also had significantly higher hourly wages and weekly working hours than their counterparts in the comparison group. CONCLUSION: College and university training is positively related to employment outcomes for young people with SLD. Implications for state VR counselors are also discussed.

The Relationship between Government Size and Happiness

Introduction: Although the use of the happiness economy approach does not have much history, since policy makers generally make decisions in the direction of increasing well-being and public satisfaction, it becomes important to quantify the concept of mental well-being and examine the factors affecting it in order to improve happiness in society. Methods: The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of government size on people's happiness in two different regimes according to the level of human development in 110 selected countries for the period of 2006 to 2017. For this purpose, threshold panel regression has been used. The information needed for this research includes the happiness variable from the World Happiness Information Bank, economic growth rate, unemployment rate, inflation rate and government size from the World Bank database and human development index from the United Nations Development Program. Findings: The model estimation results show that the variables of government size, economic growth, inflation and unemployment have a significant effect on happiness. According to the threshold limit calculated for the human development variable (0.577), the effect of government size on happiness is different in two regimes. Discussion: According to the findings of the research, increasing the size of the government below the threshold of human development leads to a decrease in the happiness of the people of the society, but after crossing the threshold of human development with the increase in the size of the government, the happiness of the people increases, which shows the efficiency of the government policies. Also, with the increase in economic growth, happiness increases and with the increase in inflation and unemployment, happiness decreases, and the noteworthy point is that the negative effect of unemployment is greater than the negative effect of inflation.

Natives’ and migrants’ employment uncertainty and childbearing during the great recession: a comparison between Italy and Sweden

ABSTRACT This study contributes to the empirical research on the fertility decline registered in Europe in the aftermath of the Great Recession adopting a comparative perspective. We explore childbearing behavior during the crisis across three dimensions of vulnerability: migration background (measured as: country of origin and length of stay in the destination country), labor market uncertainty, and country of residence. We compare childbearing behavior by parity among native and migrant women with different employment statuses in Sweden and Italy. Using the Swedish population registers and the Italian Labor Force Survey, we investigate the change in childbearing probabilities between the pre-crisis (2006–2009) and the years following the onset of the crisis (2010–2015). We find that the chances of motherhood in the aftermath of the Great Recession decreased substantially among recently arrived migrant women, but also among unemployed natives and women with unstable careers. The migration and labor market vulnerabilities, however, do not accumulate: unemployment and career instability negatively affect only native women’s probability of motherhood. Finally, the country comparison demonstrates that while the duration of stay and the weaker labor market attachment reduces the chances of motherhood in both contexts, the negative effect of unemployment is particularly strong in Italy.

Institutional quality, unemployment, economic growth and entrepreneurial activity in developed countries: a dynamic and sustainable approach

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse the impact of institutional quality, economic factors and unemployment on entrepreneurial activity. The dynamic approach adopted in this study permits to evaluate the simultaneous influence of specific factors on total entrepreneurial activity.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach through a panel vector autoregression analysis was adopted to take into account possible endogeneity issues, and a short-run Granger test was used to test causality between variables to fill the theoretical and empirical gap about the joined and dynamic effect of institutional quality, economic factors and unemployment on total entrepreneurship activity as a dependent variable.FindingsThe use of a dynamic estimation approach demonstrates that three kinds of relative effects exist: durable and positive effects between industrial production index (IPI), stability and self-employment, a limited positive effect which exists during a predeterminant period between dimensions of institutional quality and unemployment rate (UR) and finally negative effects between IPI and UR.Research limitations/implicationsIn general, this study identifies three main effects: negative, temporary positive and perpetual positive. This is the same conclusion for the link between self-employment rates (SER) and institutional quality, measured by six dimensions. Three of these dimensions are especially important: political stability and the absence of violence, governmental effectiveness and regulatory quality.Practical implicationsIn light of this study’s results and contrary to the idea admitted about the negative effect of unemployment on entrepreneurial activity, it seems that a relatively positive effect exists. By relative, the author means during a determinant period. It also has to be remembered that entrepreneurial activity was appreciated by the SER according to the recommendation of many previous researchers discussed at the beginning of this paper. Based on the model, three levels of relations emerge. This permits this study to dress a hierarchical list of alternatives to promote entrepreneurial activity. Economic policymakers have to reconsider the importance of the UR as the best occasion to create firms if good institutions and economic support are provided. Good governance and stability are the most important institutional determinants with a long positive effect. This conclusion suits Glaeser and Saks (2006) as well as Ojeka et al. (2019).Social implicationsThis research offers considerable scientific evidence to make decisions and orient decisions-makers about policies adopted to increase institutional quality, reducing unemployment and stimulate economic activity, but it is still necessary to reconsider these results for developing countries. It is hoped that future researchers enrich and reinforce the model to provide a critical pathway for successful entrepreneurship activity in this new normal. In the end, this crisis can be also treated as a good occasion to innovate and reconsider the thinking process to manage and operate in the economic world.Originality/valueThis study’s contribution is to help and assist economic policymakers to be aware of the relative importance of such determinants at the country level. The introduction of the relative importance of time is in agreement with the concept of entrepreneurial opportunity.

Significance as component of meaning in career narratives of unemployed graduates

Youth unemployment is a continuing concern in South Africa, and, in the context of growing economic volatility, an increasing number of young adult graduates will find themselves without work. Given the negative effect of unemployment on psychological well-being, research is required to enhance insight into how unemployed graduates can negotiate times of unemployment. Although multiple studies have investigated the influence of unemployment on hedonic well-being, less research is available on how eudaimonic well-being is impacted by unemployment. Significance is a component of meaning, and refers to a sense of mattering in one’s social context. The aim of the current study was to explore how young adult graduates experience a sense of significance during unemployment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain insights into participants’ career narrative, which were then analysed to find meaning plots that relate to significance. The results showed that threads of significance are present throughout the participant’s career narratives, and that the lack of significance during unemployment resulted in great distress, but also a need to restore significance. The value of the study lies in uncovering significance as an important resource during unemployment, which could be a focal point to address in psychological interventions.

Unemployment crisis and ways to remedy it from an Islamic perspective

هدفت الدراسة إلى بيان أثر الفقر والبطالة في تهديد أفراد المجتمع، وذلك من خلال بحث مفهوم البطالة، وتتبع الآيات القرآنية والهدي النبوي في معالجة ازمة البطالة باعتبارها إحدى اهم مهددات المجتمع وبيان السبل الكفيلة في علاجها، وأن مشكلة البطالة من المشكلات الاقتصادية العالمية التي تواجه المجتمعات والتي لها انعكاسات على الحياة وبكافة نواحيها، وبناءً على انتشار أزمة البطالة في عصرنا الحاضر، تناولت الباحثة موضوع "أزمة البطالة وسبل علاجها من منظور إسلامي "، حيث تم في المبحث الأول: تعريف البطالة في اللغة والاصطلاح، والمبحث الثاني: البطالة أسبابها وأنواعها في الإسلام، والمبحث الثالث: نظرة الإسلام من البطالة وأهمية العمل، والمبحث الرابع: موقف الإسلام من البطالة وسبل علاجها: والمبحث الأخير حيث بينت الباحثة النتائج والآثار المترتبة على أزمة البطالة على الفرد والمجتمع، واعتمدت الباحثة على المنهج الاستقرائي والاستدلالي في بيان مشكلة البطالة ومحاربتها من خلال الالتزام بالمنهج الرباني في علاجها، وإيجاد السبل السليمة للحد من انتشارها، وخرجت الباحثة بأهم والتوصيات في هذه الدراسة. وقد أوصى البحث بضرورة تبني الدولة لفكرة المشروعات الصغيرة والحرف اليدوية التي تسهم في علاج البطالة والحفاظ على الأمن الاجتماعي بين شرائح المجتمع، مطالبة الشريعة بإتقان العمل بصرف النظر عن طبيعته لما للبطالة من آثار سلبية خطيرة على المجتمع المسلم. ومن أهم النتائج التي توصل إليها البحث كالتالي: • انتشار البطالة والفقر بين شرائح المجتمع يزيد من الجرائم والانحراف بين أفراد المجتمع. • نشر التوعية بأهمية الزكاة كونه ركناً أساسياً من أركان الإسلام، والحرص على أدائها لمحاربة البطالة. • نشر التوعية بأهمية العمل بغض النظر عن طبيعته، لما للبطالة من آثار سلبية خطيرة على المجتمع المسلم.

Emergency unemployment benefits and health care spending during Covid.

ObjectiveTo estimate the impact of the $600 per week Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payments on health care services spending during the Covid pandemic and to investigate if this impact varied by state Medicaid expansion status.Data SourcesThis study leverages novel, publicly available data from Opportunity Insights capturing consumer credit and debit card spending on health care services for January 18–August 15, 2020 as well as information on unemployment insurance claims, Covid cases, and state policy changes.Study DesignUsing triple‐differences estimation, we leverage two sources of variation—within‐state change in the unemployment insurance claims rate and the introduction of FPUC payments—to estimate the moderating effect of FPUC on health care spending losses as unemployment rises. Results are stratified by state Medicaid expansion status.Extraction MethodsNot applicable.Principal FindingsFor each percentage point increase in the unemployment insurance claims rate, health care spending declined by 1.0% (<0.05) in Medicaid expansion states and by 2.0% (<0.01) in nonexpansion states. However, FPUC partially mitigated this association, boosting spending by 0.8% (<0.001) and 1.3% (<0.05) in Medicaid expansion and nonexpansion states, respectively, for every percentage point increase in the unemployment insurance claims rate.ConclusionsWe find that FPUC bolstered health care spending during the Covid pandemic, but that both the negative consequences of unemployment and moderating effects of federal income supports were greatest in states that did not adopt Medicaid expansion. These results indicate that emergency federal spending helped to sustain health care spending during a period of rising unemployment. Yet, the effectiveness of this program also suggests possible unmet demand for health care services, particularly in states that did not adopt Medicaid expansion.

Innovative mental health policies, plans and interventions: How to manage consequences of economic crisis?

Abstract BodyAvailable evidence shows that countries may shield their population’s exposure and vulnerability to mental health risks during and after an economic recession by strengthening their policies and reorienting their budgets. Populations’ mental health protection during economic crises can only be achieved by the policies of different sectors. Social protection, social programmes and social safety nets proved to be fundamental buffers against inequalities in mental health. Several actions have proven to be effective in this area, including measures to improve social protection, reduce income inequalities, and mitigate the impacts of unemployment. To address the negative consequences of unemployment, active labour market programmes, including special programmes for unemployed young people and families, programmes to promote the employment of people with disabilities, and debt relief programmes should be implemented. The response of the health system is critical. During and after economic recessions, it is fundamental to ensure the responsiveness and effectiveness of the mental health system. To attain this goal, mental health services that are closer to the populations and that facilitate the early identification of mental health problems and the implementation of integrated interventions should be strengthened. The latter is a crucial approach to tackle the mental health problems that more often worsen in periods of economic instability, such as depression, suicidal behaviour and heavy drinking. A special attention should also be dedicated to strengthening the network of community-based mental health services, promoting the integration of mental health in primary care, and enhancing the coordination between mental health services and social care.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

The link between unemployment and opioid prescribing. An instrumental variable approach using evidence from England

BackgroundUnemployment has been associated with chronic pain, which is often treated with prescription opioids. Opioid mortality has been included in the so-called category of ‘deaths of despair’ due to the...

Does Unemployment Worsen Babies’ Health? A Tale of Siblings, Maternal Behaviour and Selection

We study the effect of unemployment on birth outcomes by exploiting geographical variation in the unemployment rate across local areas in England, and comparing siblings born to the same mother via family fixed effects. Using rich individual data from hospital administrative records between 2003 and 2012, babies' health is found to be strongly pro-cyclical. A one-percentage point increase in the unemployment rate leads to an increase in low birth weight and preterm babies of respectively 1.3 and 1.4%, and a 0.1% decrease in foetal growth. We find heterogenous responses: unemployment has an effect on babies' health which varies from strongly adverse in the most deprived areas, to mildly favourable in the most prosperous areas. We provide evidence of three channels that can explain the overall negative effect of unemployment on new-born health: maternal stress; unhealthy behaviours - namely excessive alcohol consumption and smoking; and delays in the take-up of prenatal services. While the heterogenous effects of unemployment by area of deprivation seem to be explained by maternal behaviour. Most importantly, we also show for the first time that selection into fertility is the main driver for the previously observed, opposite counter-cyclical results, e.g., Dehejia and Lleras-Muney (2004). Our results are robust to internal migration, different geographical aggregation of the unemployment rate, the use of gender-specific unemployment rates, and potential endogeneity of the unemployment rate which we control for by using a shift-share instrumental variable approach.

Creative destruction and regional health: evidence from the US

Building on the recent surge of interest in understanding the influence of entrepreneurship on individual health and well-being, we ask whether county-level creative destruction is associated with county-level health outcomes. Consistent with regional economics and epidemiology literature our unit of analysis is at the regional (i.e., county) level. Based on a sample of 3072 U.S. counties between 2009 and 2015, we find that creative destruction is negatively associated with the share of fair/poor health, the share of frequent physical distress, the share of frequent mental distress, and age-adjusted mortality. The results further show that creative destruction tamps the negative effects of unemployment, income inequality, and rural areas on health and mortality. The estimates are consistent for commuting zones as an additional unit of geographic analysis.

Does the Business Cycle Affect Utilization of Long-Term Care Among the Elderly?

Objectives: To estimate the effect of macroeconomic conditions, as measured by unemployment rates, on the probability of receiving long-term care, the amount of care received, and mechanisms that could link care receipt to economic conditions. Methods: The study uses data from the 1998 – 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Dependent variables are indicators for any use of nursing home care, paid home care and unpaid home care, as well as conditional number of home caregivers and hours. In the regression analysis, effects are estimated using within-state changes in unemployment over time in a state-year fixed effects model. Results: In the full sample, higher unemployment rates are associated with a marginally significant decrease in the probability of being in a nursing home, fewer hours of paid home care and more hours of unpaid home care. The effects appear to be driven by women rather than men and the negative effects of unemployment on utilization of care are larger and more significant among the unmarried. The most likely mechanisms for these effects are significant decreases in both wealth and employment of adult children during recessions. Discussion: Some types of long-term care receipt are sensitive to economic downturns, and this does not appear to be explained by changes in health status or functional limitations over the business cycle. Given that affordability of care is likely to be driving a decrease in care, policy may be required to ensure that the needs of vulnerable elderly are met.

Social and Solitary Exercise among the Unemployed and Out of the Labor Force in the United States: Estimates by Gender and Partnership Status

Abstract Introduction: The negative effects of unemployment are significant, and the potential for increased morbidity and mortality is a major public health challenge. Negative effects may be partially attributable to health behavior change and loss of social ties. Exercise has positive physical and mental health benefits and could help buffer such negative effects. This study examines whether time in social and solitary exercise varies by unemployment and out of the labor force (OOLF) status because exercise, especially social exercise, provides health benefits. Methods: Gender-stratified ordinary least squares models are estimated using data from the nationally representative 2003-2016 American Time Use Surveys to test how own and partner employment status are associated with total time in exercise, exercise alone, with children, with a partner, and with others. Results: Unemployed and OOLF men spend significantly more time in exercise alone (3-9 minutes, p&lt;.05) and with others (about 13 minutes, p&lt;.001) compared to employed men. Unemployed women spend significantly more time in exercise with others (6 minutes, p&lt;.05), and OOLF women in all types of social exercise (1-9 minutes, p&lt;.05), compared to employed women. Conclusions: Unemployed and OOLF individuals engage in more social exercise, which could be leveraged to help buffer loss of social ties and improve health. Exercise-related interventions may help reduce negative health consequences of unemployment. Keywords: physical activity, employment, American Time Use Survey

Contribuições do Modelo Bioecológico à Análise do Desemprego sob a Perspectiva Familiar e de Gênero

O desemprego enquanto fenômeno psicológico torna-se, em tempos de recessão econômica, um objeto de estudo de particular interesse. Ampla é a literatura acerca das consequências negativas do desemprego sobre o bem-estar das pessoas nesta situação. No entanto, observa-se que um grande número dos estudos centra-se somente na pessoa em desemprego e em variáveis individuais (tais como idade, sexo, características de personalidade e duração do desemprego, por exemplo). O objetivo da presente revisão narrativa de literatura, foi apresentar como o modelo bioecológico pode contribuir para a análise do fenômeno do desemprego, conferindo complexidade e dinamismo na abordagem desta problemática. A pesquisa bibliográfica foi feita nas bases de dados Academic Search Complete, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Scielo, Scopus e SocIndex. Considerando a família como uma teia complexa de relações sistêmicas, onde as interações se dão de forma bidirecional, compreende-se que seus diferentes subsistemas são afetados por pressões externas, mas também podem agir proativamente na preservação de um equilíbrio interno de funcionamento. Observou-se que o gênero é uma dimensão marcante para a articulação dos papéis familiares e profissionais, sendo esta uma variável que atravessa e condiciona a experiência de desemprego nas famílias heteronormativas com maior adesão aos papéis tradicionais de gênero. O presente trabalho integra parte da tese de doutorado da autora.

Does Unemployment Worsen Babies' Health? A Tale of Siblings, Maternal Behaviour and Selection

We study the effect of unemployment on birth outcomes by exploiting geographical variation in the unemployment rate across local areas in England, and comparing siblings born to the same mother via family fixed effects. Using rich individual data from hospital administrative records between 2003 and 2012, babies’ health is found to be strongly procyclical. A one-percentage point increase in the unemployment rate leads to an increase in low birth weight and preterm babies of respectively 1.3 and 1.4%, and a 0.1% decrease in foetal growth. We find heterogenous responses: unemployment has an effect on babies’ health which varies from strongly adverse in the most deprived areas, to mildly favourable in the most prosperous areas. We provide evidence of three channels that can explain the overall negative effect of unemployment on new-born health: maternal stress; unhealthy behaviours - namely excessive alcohol consumption and smoking; and delays in the takeup of prenatal services. While the heterogenous effects of unemployment by area of deprivation seem to be explained by maternal behaviour. Most importantly, we also show for the first time that selection into fertility is the main driver for the previously observed, opposite counter-cyclical results, e.g., Dehejia and Lleras-Muney (2004). Our results are robust to internal migration, different geographical aggregation of the unemployment rate, the use of gender-specific unemployment rates, and potential endogeneity of the unemployment rate which we control for by using a shift-share instrumental variable approach

Financial threat and individuals’ willingness to change financial behavior

Financial threat and individuals’ willingness to change financial behavior

Life satisfaction and unemployment in Turkey: evidence from Life Satisfaction Surveys 2004–2013

This paper has three purposes. First, it explores the relationship between unemployment and well-being in Turkey using data from Life Satisfaction Surveys for the period between 2004 and 2013. Second, it examines to what extent joblessness at the household level interacts with own unemployment. Third, it tests whether the negative effect of unemployment on well-being varies with individuals’ own perceptions of their labor market prospects. Consistent with the other studies in the literature, findings indicate that the unemployed experience significantly lower levels of life satisfaction than the employed. While the results do not provide support for the social norm effect at the household level, they do indicate that that the impact of labor market status on well-being varies with the job prospects. There is also suggestive evidence that women and men are similarly affected by unemployment and job prospects.

Young People Living with Unemployed Parents during a Labour Market-Crisis: How Do Portugal and Scotland Compare?

In Europe the rate of unemployment increased due to the 2008–2009 economic recession. The negative effect of unemployment on adult well-being has been demonstrated and there are strong reasons to believe that young people living in unemployed households may be also affected. Unemployment protection policies and family support programmes might help buffer such effects. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between parental unemployment and youth mental well-being outcomes, and to examine possible heterogeneity between two countries with different labour market policies and parental support programme availability (Portugal and Scotland). Data were collected in 2014 by the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in Scotland and Portugal with two nationally representative samples of 13- and 15-year olds: 2748 Portuguese students (Mage = 14.7 years ±1.2; 47.8% boys); and 4512 Scottish students (Mage = 14.6 years ±1.0; 50.0% boys). Life satisfaction and subjective health complaints scales were used to assess youth mental well-being. Descriptive and linear regression analyses were performed. Young people with one or more unemployed parents report lower levels of youth life satisfaction in both countries. In the Portuguese sample, parental unemployment was also positively associated with the frequency of subjective health complaints among young people. The association between parental unemployment status and youth low well-being were observed in both countries but there were some differences. These are discussed in the context of cross-national differences in unemployment rates and family protection policies in the two countries.