Social Assistance Beneficiaries Research Articles

TO HEAT OR NOT TO HEAT? ON (IN)PERCEPTIBLE ENERGY POVERTY AMONG THE POOR

This research investigates energy poverty among social assistance beneficiaries in the Masovian Voivodeship, focusing on both objective and subjective dimensions. Energy poverty, characterized by the inability to afford adequate energy services, is examined through the Low Income High Cost (LIHC) measure and respondents’ subjective experiences. The study, based on a 2023 survey of 625 individuals, compares the Warsaw Capital Region and the Masovian Regional Region within the voivodeship. Results reveal that a significant proportion of beneficiaries face challenges in meeting energy needs, with 75% exceeding the 10% LIHC threshold. Strategies for coping include relying on social assistance, limiting current needs, seeking help from relatives, and dressing appropriately for indoor temperatures. The research covers energy poverty with economic, social, and health factors, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions and financial support mechanisms. Findings also highlight the impact of energy prices, varied energy consumption patterns, and subjective perceptions of energy poverty. The study contributes valuable insights into the complex phenomenon of energy poverty among social assistance recipients in the region.

Predicting social assistance beneficiaries: On the social welfare damage of data biases

Abstract Cash transfer programs are the most common anti-poverty tool in low- and middle-income countries, reaching more than one billion people globally. Benefits are typically targeted using prediction models. In this paper, we develop an extended targeting assessment framework for proxy means testing that accounts for societal sensitivity to targeting errors. Using a social welfare framework, we weight targeting errors based on their position in the welfare distribution and adjust for different levels of societal inequality aversion. While this approach provides a more comprehensive assessment of targeting performance, our two case studies show that bias in the data, particularly in the form of label bias and unstable proxy means testing weights, leads to a substantial underestimation of welfare losses, disadvantaging some groups more than others.

Suburbanization of poverty? Analysis of attitudes of social assistance beneficiaries in rural areas of the Masovian Voivodeship

Suburbanization of poverty? Analysis of attitudes of social assistance beneficiaries in rural areas of the Masovian Voivodeship

Who needs cash? The deservingness perceptions of Brazilian civil servants in cash‐based social policy implementation

AbstractDrawing on existing European research findings, we assess factors driving Brazilian social security street‐level officials' deservingness perceptions through survey and administrative data. Ordered regression analyses gauge the effects of socioeconomic status, social work academic background and face‐to‐face contact with the public on these officials' perceptions towards social assistance beneficiaries under seven deservingness criteria. A middle‐class socioeconomic status increased the odds that beneficiaries are seen as undeserving under the criteria of social investment, control and reciprocity, while a high socioeconomic status is linked to benevolent perceptions of their need. A social work academic background is strongly linked to higher overall deservingness perceptions, whereas frequent face‐to‐face contact with the public can reduce them under the control deservingness criterion. The research takes a new step in the direction of deservingness survey studies, suggesting the formulation of new analytical frameworks and increasing policymakers' awareness of the importance of variables driving bureaucracy decisions.

Do Red-Flagged Clients Exit Social Assistance Earlier than Others? The Case of the Finnish Social Assistance System

We examine an early ‘red flag system’ in the Finnish social assistance system and its efficiency in reducing the length of social assistance spells. We utilise the age-threshold in the policy that requires notifying social services on beneficiaries under twenty-five years of age after four months of social assistance receipt. Using monthly administrative data covering all twenty-three to twenty-six-year-old social assistance beneficiaries in Finland in 2018-2019, we compare the social assistance receipt of those below and above the age-threshold. Our findings show that those who are ‘red flagged’ do not exit social assistance earlier than others. On the contrary, four months after the notification is sent to social services, they are more likely to still have social assistance as their primary source of income compared to the twenty-five to twenty-six-year-old individuals. Our results shed light on the little discussed question on how to combine social work with digitalised and automatised welfare.

Social Assistance Beneficiaries’ Access to Social Services in a Digitalized Social Assistance System

Zugang von Sozialhilfeempfänger:innen zu Sozialdienstleistungen in einem digitalisierten Sozialhilfesystem Während der COVID-19-Pandemie hat sich die Digitalisierung sozialer Dienstleistungen stark ausgeweitet, was Fragen des Zugangs zu ihnen hat dringlicher werden lassen. Anhand von statistischen Daten zu standardisierten Bedarfen an sozialen Dienstleistungen im finnischen Sozialhilfesystem, den sog. “Red-Flag-Meldungen” in den Jahren 2017 – 2019 und Umfragedaten zu Fachkräften der Sozialarbeit aus dem Jahr 2021 bewerten wir, wie gut ein Red-Flag-System potenzielle Klient:innen identifiziert, die kommunale Sozialarbeit benötigen, und wie diese Zugang zu sozialen Dienstleistungen in einem System erhalten, in dem Geld- und Dienstleistungen getrennt sind. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das System der Red Flags den Bedarf an sozialen Dienstleistungen hauptsächlich bei finanziellen Problemen feststellt, während soziale und gesundheitliche Probleme seltener erkannt werden. Das System setzt also auf die eigenen Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten der Klient:innen, um die notwendigen Dienstleistungen zu erhalten. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen außerdem, dass kommunale Sozialarbeiter:innen die Fähigkeit der Sachbearbeiter:innen in der zentralisierten Geldleistungsbehörde, den Bedarf an sozialarbeiterischer Beratung zu erkennen, kritisch sehen. Etwa ein Viertel der Sozialarbeiter:innen vertraut nicht darauf, dass unterstützungsbedürftige Klient:innen, an die kommunale Sozialarbeit verwiesen werden. Wir argumentieren, dass sich die Digitalisierung nicht nur auf die Art und Weise auswirkt, wie Klient:innen Leistungen beantragen, sondern auch neue Formen der Sozialarbeit erschwert. Dies betrifft etwa die aufsuchende Sozialarbeit und den direkten Kontakt mit Klient:innen, welche Gefahr laufen, aus dem Leistungsbezug herauszufallen.

Some reflections on the legal particularities of social assistance in the Republic of Moldova

In the conducted research, the legal features of social assistance in the Republic of Moldova were identified and hhighlighted the importance of this law institution in the harmonious development of any society. Moreover, the impact of social policies on the living standards of social assistance beneficiaries and their development prospects according to the social standards established at international level were assessed.

Correlates of Alcohol Consumption Among a Socially-Disadvantaged Population in Poland

Alcohol consumption at a level exceeding existing recommendations is one of the leading risk factors for death and disability worldwide. The aim of the study was to identify correlates of alcohol drinking among a socially-disadvantaged population in Poland. The cross-sectional study covered 1644 adult social assistance beneficiaries from the Piotrkowski district (rural area in central Poland). A detailed questionnaire filled in during a face-to-face interview allowed for the collection of socio-demographic, lifestyle-related (including alcohol consumption) and health status data. About 42% of the participants, including 67% of the men and 30% of the women, exceeded the recommended level of alcohol consumption. In the adjusted model, the men tended not to follow recommendations for alcohol consumption more frequently than the women (OR = 4.5, p < 0.001). The higher odds of not following alcohol-related recommendations were also observed for the subjects declaring having a permanent or temporary job compared to the unemployed participants (OR = 1.2, p = 0.04). A lower healthy lifestyle index (indicating an unhealthy lifestyle related to a diet, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and tobacco smoking) was associated with not following recommendations for alcohol consumption (OR = 1.1, p = 0.04). Our study indicates that being men, having a permanent or a temporary job, and coexistence of other unfavorable lifestyle-related factors are important correlates of not following recommendations for alcohol consumption among the beneficiaries of government welfare assistance.

Wybrane świadczenia w polskim systemie pomocy społecznej - próba analizy

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie struktury wybranych świadczeń - pieniężnych lub niepieniężnych - w systemie pomocy społecznej oraz zidentyfikowanie kluczowych w Polsce trendów w tym obszarze w latach 2012-2018. Przeprowadzone na potrzeby artykułu analizy sygnalizują, że zapowiedź odejścia od transferów pieniężnych na rzecz świadczeń pozapieniężnych, aktywizacji społecznej czy zawodowej ma jedynie charakter deklaratywny.W analizowanym okresie wystąpił negatywny trend polegający na zwiększeniu się liczby odbiorców świadczeń realizowanych w formie pieniężnej przy spadku liczby osób objętych wsparciem w formie pozapieniężnej. Rosła także liczba świadczeń przyznawanych z powodu dysfunkcji zdrowotnych i niepełnosprawności, malała zaś liczba świadczeń z powodu bezrobocia i ubóstwa.Ponadto nastąpiło zwiększenie zatrudnienia w sektorze pomocy społecznej, ale przy jednoczesnym spadku zatrudnienia pracowników socjalnych.

Activated and included? The social inclusion of social assistance beneficiaries engaged in “public works”

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss how employment regulations and stigma, arising from working for welfare in “public works”, limit the social inclusion of social assistance beneficiaries. Activation in “public works” is meant for those beneficiaries unable to participate to the unsubsidised labour market because of range of work impairments.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on qualitative interviews concerning the perspectives of social assistance beneficiaries in Luxembourg who work in “public works” activation schemes in exchange for social assistance support. The paper uses an encompassing definition of social inclusion based on the idea of social rights.FindingsAccess to legal employment status and to social rights are fundamental conditions to foster social inclusion and labour market integration. People in “public works” schemes consider their inclusion hampered by the lack of a legal status that could allow them to access social rights, basic social services and economic life – such as decent housing or access to credit – and the presence of stigma related to working for social assistance.Social implicationsEnsuring social protection of work and lifting stigma aside labour market integration are key for a social inclusion strategy that could support social assistance beneficiaries’ social inclusion.Originality/valueDebate on activation, including that arising from social investment, stress the centrality of labour market integration for social inclusion but does not take into account institutional factors – such as the social protection of work – and stigmatisation practices that can directly undermine the social inclusion of social assistance beneficiaries working for welfare.

Political Consequences of Welfare Regimes: Social Assistance and Support for Presidentialism in Turkey

ABSTRACTTackling redistributive expansion in developing countries, this paper explores broader political consequences of social assistance programmes. Drawing from the Turkish case, where social welfare expanded since the 2000s, it examines attitudes of social assistance beneficiaries towards transition to presidentialism, which was approved in a referendum in 2017, and took effect in 2018. Using the results of an original survey, it indicates that social assistance benefits played a significant role in increasing support for presidentialism, by garnering votes from opposition voters, especially those with high-risk perceptions, in return for benefits. Given the character of Turkish presidentialism, devoid of vital checks and balances, the findings reveal that incumbents can mobilise support by using redistributive instruments in the context of democratic backsliding.

Pravo na socijalnu zaštitu u kontekstu novih zakonskih rešenja u Republici Srbiji

The Law on Social Protection of the Republic of Serbia was adopted in 2011 and contains solutions resulting from the reform processes in this field. This Act sought to ensure: the minimum material security of individuals and families, the availability of social assistance services, to guarantee equal conditions for the individual's individual life, to upgrade and improve family relationships, as well as to prevent unwanted occurrences such as: abuse, neglect and exploitation of people. However, despite the reform intentions and the achieved results in this area, during seven years of application of this law, numerous defects and shortcomings were noted, and there was a need for the adoption of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Social Protection. Since the issue of amending the positive Law on Social Protection is actual issue, the measures that were proposed by the respective amendments and proposals were analyzed, with a review of positive legal solutions, as well as the potential effects that could be achieved by adopting the proposed changes. All changes are aimed at the social protection in the Republic of Serbia is raised to a higher level, in order to bring the position of the user to an adequate level, respecting his personality and integrity. On the other hand, one of the major novelties is certainly social activation of social assistance beneficiaries, which in practice means that each user will be engaged in work according to his abilities and ability to work. This novelty is not in an antagonism with the basic goal of social protection, that is material support and the provision of social care services, because the working engagement of social welfare beneficiaries only stimulates their working capacity and performs vocational and professional training, that leads to integration into society as equal community members. So, although disputed, this novelty cannot be harmful to the users, because it gives them multiple opportunities, through job training, through social integration.

Does Workfare Work Well? The Case of the Employment Generation Program for the Poorest in Bangladesh

Evidence on the effectiveness of workfare as an anti-poverty program in developing countries is weak compared with the relatively well-established role of public works during economic crisis as a social safety net. This paper contributes to evidence building by examining the impact of a large-scale workfare program in Bangladesh, the Employment Generation Program for the Poorest. Taking advantage of the program's distinguishable feature of direct wage transfer to a person's bank account, the paper uses accessibility to local banks as an instrumental variable to identify the program's impacts on rural social assistance beneficiaries. Based on locality-by-time fixed effects models over two rounds of locality panel data, the analysis finds that the Employment Generation Program for the Poorest has contributed to increasing overall household consumption and reducing outstanding loans. In particular, expenditures on quality food and health care have significantly increased, which likely helps individuals continue to engage in income-generating activities in the labor market. However, the implementation costs and poor quality of public assets built through work projects could potentially undermine the program's efficiency. Moreover, further evidence is required on the impacts of work experience through workfare on subsequent labor market outcomes and the value of public assets, to assess the program's effectiveness compared with administratively simpler alternative instruments such as unconditional cash transfers.

Prevalence and Correlates of Physical Inactivity during Leisure-Time and Commuting among Beneficiaries of Government Welfare Assistance in Poland.

Physical activity (PA) has well-documented health benefits helping to prevent development of non-communicable diseases. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence and factors associated with physical inactivity during leisure-time (LTPA) and commuting (CPA) among adult social assistance beneficiaries in Piotrkowski district. The studied sample consisted of 1817 respondents. Over 73% of the study population did not meet the recommended levels of LTPA. Fifty two % of the respondents had none leisure-time physical activity and 21.5% exercised occasionally. Main reasons for not taking up LTPA included: high general physical activity (36.4%), lack of time (28.1%), no willingness to exercise (25.4%). Close to 82% of the surveyed population did not practice commuting physical activity (CPA). The men had higher risk for inactivity during LTPA compared to the women (OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.11–1.65; p ≤ 0.05). Higher odds of CPA inactivity were associated with unemployment, moderate and heavy drinking and having a number of health problems. The prevalence of physical inactivity among the social assistance recipients is much higher than it is in the general population. Promotion of an active lifestyle should take into consideration substantial differences between the general population and disadvantaged individuals and their various needs.

Patterns of welfare-to-employment transitions of Croatian Guaranteed Minimum Benefit recipients: a preliminary study

In this paper we explore the transitions of social assistance beneficiaries to employment in Croatia. Data was sourced from the social welfare register for 208 persons from the 2015 cohort of new, unemployed social assistance recipients in one Centre for Social Welfare, their outcomes tracked until June 2017. About a quarter of the recipients became employed within one year, in most cases with wages slightly higher than the statutory minimum. Out of them, about a quarter relapsed into social assistance status within a year. Following the World Bank Employment Barriers approach, we examine whether outcomes are associated with disincentives to work (inactivity trap), lack of work-related capabilities, or gendered engagement with in- household work. We found the average participation tax rate (PTR) for recipients to stand at 57%, yet no effect of PTR, benefit level, debt or PTR level on transition to employment was identified. With respect to capabilities, the role of human capital (vocational in particular), work experience and age turned out to be consistent with prior research. Substitution of inhouse work is consistent with the finding that women are less likely to get employed if living in a household with dependents.

Do First- and Second-Generation Migrants Stay Longer in Social Assistance Than Natives in Belgium?

In many European countries, migrants are overrepresented in social assistance. In Belgium, at least 70% of social assistance beneficiaries are first- or second-generation migrants, as natives are often eligible for a social insurance benefit. Lower exit rates among migrants relative to natives could raise concern about the labour market inclusion of beneficiaries, as well as the financial sustainability and solidarity basis of the welfare state. This paper analyses whether migrants remain longer in social assistance than natives and whether migrants vary in their timing of exit by migration-history characteristics. We use longitudinal data from the social assistance administration linked to other administrative sources, including detailed information about migration histories of migrants. Using event history analysis, we track the exits from social assistance for 22,620 beneficiaries in the period June 2005–December 2009. We find that migrants have substantially longer median durations than natives. Controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, benefit and work histories, we find that most migrant groups have (slightly) lower exit rates than natives. Asylum seekers stay substantially longer in social assistance whereas migrants with longer durations of residence have shorter benefit periods than recent migrants. Second-generation migrants do not stay longer in social assistance than natives.

Smoking Patterns and Smoking Cessation Willingness-A Study among Beneficiaries of Government Welfare Assistance in Poland.

This study examines the prevalence and tobacco use patterns among adult social assistance beneficiaries and their interest in quitting. The results are based on data collected in a cross-sectional survey conducted among adults in the Piotrkowski district. A sample of 3636 social assistance beneficiaries produced a total of 1817 respondents who completed face-to-face questionnaires. Overall, 37.1% of the respondents, including 52.8% men and 29.6% women, were current smokers. Over one third of the smokers reported their willingness to quit. In the study population, several characteristics were significantly associated with the current daily smoking: male gender, low educational attainment, unemployment or temporary employment, lack of awareness of smoking-associated health risks, use of e-cigarettes, and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The intention to quit smoking among the daily smokers was positively correlated with their awareness of smoking-associated health risks, lack of previous quit attempts, and low exposure to ETS. Smoking prevalence among social assistance recipients tends to be higher than in the general population, but more than half of the smokers are willing to quit. There is an urgency to develop policies tailored to the needs of these disadvantaged population groups.

A comparative study of social assistance systems in Macao and Hong Kong

This article compares social assistance systems in Macao and Hong Kong. It finds that Macao delivers a higher level of social assistance benefits, whereas Hong Kong has a larger group of social assistance beneficiaries. The Hong Kong Government spends a larger amount on social assistance provision and imposes tougher controls on the recipients, compared to Macao. The results of the comparison indicate that Macao and Hong Kong differ markedly in the type of productivist welfare regime they belong and challenge the assertion that the two welfare systems form a distinct welfare model.

Hoe prikkelbaar zijn gemeenten?

How do municipalities react to the reform of financing social assistance benefits? How do municipalities react to the reform of financing social assistance benefits? Since 2004, Dutch municipalities receive lump sum budgets to finance social assistance benefits. Although there is a broad consensus that this reform has provided municipalities with strong incentives to reduce the number of social assistance beneficiaries, these effects are probably less substantial than was initially expected. This article argues that there may be three possible reasons for this: (1) loss of incentives due to the organizational structure of municipalities; (2) the use of inaccurate performance indicators; and (3) crowding out of intrinsic motivation of case managers by explicit financial incentives. Particularly the first two reasons have turned out to be important impediments for the functioning of the financial incentives for municipalities. In light of these findings, the government may well consider other ways of influencing municipalities, such as enhancing the transparency of the relative performance of municipalities and co-financing research to stimulate the use of evidence based methods.

Minimum income support in Serbia: Adequacy of social assistance

While some Member States of the European Union haven't developed their own national minimum income schemes (Greece and Italy), current legislative regulation in our country recognizes the right to universal material support to the poor population. The basic program of material support is achieved through social assistance payments, while the conditions and amount of financial assistance for beneficiaries are regulated by the Social Protection Law. The aims of this paper are to determine the adequacy of financial assistance as a concept in European practice in the context of right to minimum income support, review of the basic settings of this right in our country and to analyse the adequacy of social assistance payments level in relation to achievement of adequate living standard in the Republic of Serbia. Findings suggest that the amount of financial assistance is inadequate to uplift the social assistance beneficiaries above the absolute poverty line.