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The high cost of medical care and its association with poverty have given rise to a growing concern for developing countries, but how insurance plans affect household income and alleviate poverty has been rarely discussed. This study aims to bridge this research gap by examining a medical insurance reform in China, a major program of the targeted poverty alleviation (TPA) strategy, which offers higher reimbursement rates and lower medical deductibles for low‐income households. We use an administrative data set on impoverished people in a Chinese county to examine how exogenous changes in the medical insurance system affect the income structure of low‐income households. We apply a two‐part model to a Difference‐in‐Differences framework, with households that received reimbursement of the insurance reform as the treatment group and others as the control group. Our results imply that the medical insurance reform could increase the overall household income diversity. The mechanism analysis suggests that the medical insurance reform improves the health conditions of patients and encourages caregivers to engage more in off‐farm work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research has shown that the use of dental care services has a significant socioeconomic gradient. Lower income groups tend to use dental care services less, and they often have poorer dental health than higher income groups. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how an increase in income affects the use of dental care services among a low-income population. Methods: The study examines the causal effect of increasing cash transfers on the use of dental care services by utilizing unique register-based data from a randomized field experiment conducted in Finland in 2017–2018. The Finnish basic income experiment introduced an exogenous increase in the income of persons who previously received basic unemployment benefits. Register-based data on the study population's use of public and private dental care services were collected both for the treatment group (N = 2,000) and the control group (N = 173,222) of the experiment over a five-year period 2015–2019: two years before, two years during, and one year after the experiment. The experiment's average treatment effect on the use of dental care services was estimated with OLS regressions. Results: The Finnish basic income experiment had no detectable effect on the overall use of dental care services. However, it decreased the probability of visiting public dental care (-2.7% points, -4.7%, p =.017) and increased the average amount of out-of-pocket spending on private care (12.1 euros, 29.8%, p =.032). The results suggest that, even in a country with a universal public dental care coverage, changes in cash transfers do affect the dental care patterns of low-income populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to clarify whether differences in food group intake according to household income have changed over the last decade in Japanese people aged 20 years or older. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on the 2010, 2014, and 2018 National Health and Nutrition Surveys in Japan. Food intake was assessed using a 1-day semi-weighed household dietary record. The participants were categorized into three groups based on their income. The mean of each food intake according to the income group was estimated by adjusting for age, occupation, and number of participants from the same household. The significance of the interaction terms between income and survey year was evaluated to assess the change in income-related differences in food intake over time. Results: Cereal intake was lower in the middle- and the highest-income groups than in the lowest-income group, regardless of sex, and the interaction between income and year was nonsignificant for cereal intake. In the former two surveys, vegetable intake was higher among the highest-income women, while in the 2018 survey, the vegetable intake decreased in the women in the middle- and the highest-income groups. The interaction between income and year was significant for vegetable intake among the women. For other foods, the differences in intake among the income groups did not significantly change over time. Conclusion: The tendency for lower cereal intake in the higher-income groups was consistent over time in both the sexes, and the tendency for higher vegetable intake in the highest income women disappeared over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the flexibility applications and the unequal distribution and the low income levels low income groups get by exhibiting the income distribution that occurs among the ones that join the labour market. To that end, the earnings of paid employees, casual worker, selfemployed and employer are examined by using the micro data of the TURKSAT Household Income and Living Conditions Survey-2019. The differences among the income groups are presented by calculating the distribution among the income groups in accordance with the education level, job status, employment situation and occupational group and the shares they get from the income as per 10% percentile of the ones within employment. The findings indicate that the income difference between the lowest and the highest is 16,7 times and the average income of the low income group is in a level less than the minimum wage but that nevertheless mostly the high income groups benefit from the transfer incomes. It is inferred that flexible and/or informal labour is prevalent in the lowest income group that is under the risk of poverty due to the low level of welfare they have. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The economic burden of traumatic injuries forces families into difficult tradeoffs between healthcare and nutrition, particularly among those with a low income. However, the epidemiology of food insecurity among individuals reporting having experienced fractures is not well understood. Questions/purposes: (1) Do individuals in the National Health Interview Survey reporting having experienced fractures also report food insecurity more frequently than individuals in the general population? (2) Are specific factors associated with a higher risk of food insecurity in patients with fractures? Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of the National Health Interview Survey was conducted to identify patients who reported a fracture within 3 months before survey completion. The National Health Interview Survey is an annual serial, cross-sectional survey administered by the United States Centers for Disease Control, involving approximately 90,000 individuals across 35,000 American households. The survey is designed to be generalizable to the civilian, noninstitutionalized United States population and is therefore well suited to evaluate longitudinal trends in physical, economic, and psychosocial health factors nationwide. We analyzed data from 2011 to 2017 and identified 1399 individuals who reported sustaining a fracture during the 3 months preceding their survey response. Among these patients, 27% (384 of 1399) were older than 65 years, 77% (1074) were White, 57% (796) were women, and 14% (191) were uninsured. A raw score compiled from 10 food security questions developed by the United States Department of Agriculture was used to determine the odds of 30-day food insecurity for each patient. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with food insecurity among patients reporting fractures. In the overall sample of National Health Interview Survey respondents, approximately 0.6% (1399 of 239,168) reported a fracture. Results: Overall, 17% (241 of 1399) of individuals reporting broken bones or fractures in the National Health Interview Survey also reported food insecurity. Individuals reporting fractures were more likely to report food insecurity if they also were aged between 45 and 64 years (adjusted odds ratio 4.0 [95% confidence interval 2.1 to 7.6]; p < 0.001), had a household income below USD 49,716 (200% of the federal poverty level) per year (adjusted OR 3.1 [95% CI 1.9 to 5.1]; p < 0.001), were current tobacco smokers (adjusted OR 2.8 [95% CI 1.6 to 5.1]; p < 0.001), and were of Black race (adjusted OR 1.9 [95% CI 1.1 to 3.4]; p = 0.02). Conclusion: Among patients with fractures, food insecurity screening and routine nutritional assessments may help to direct financially vulnerable patients toward available community resources. Such screening programs may improve adherence to nutritional recommendations in the trauma recovery period and improve the physiologic environment for adequate soft tissue and bone healing. Future research may benefit from the inclusion of clinical nutritional data, a broader representation of high-energy injuries, and a prospective study design to evaluate cost-efficient avenues for food insecurity interventions in the context of locally available social services networks. Level of Evidence: Level III, prognostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socioeconomic status is an overlooked risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Low family income is a measure of socioeconomic status and may portend greater CVD risk. Therefore, we assessed the association of family income with cardiovascular risk factor and disease burden in American adults. This retrospective analysis included data from participants aged ≥ 20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles between 2005 and 2018. Family income to poverty ratio (PIR) was calculated by dividing family (or individual) income by poverty guidelines specific to the survey year and used as a measure of socioeconomic status. The association of PIR with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and CVD as well as cardiac mortality and all-cause mortality was examined. We included 35,932 unweighted participants corresponding to 207,073,472 weighted, nationally representative participants. Participants with lower PIR were often female and more likely to belong to race/ethnic minorities (non-Hispanic Black, Mexican American, other Hispanic). In addition, they were less likely to be married/living with a partner, to attain college graduation or higher, or to have health insurance. In adjusted analyses, the prevalence odds of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure (CHF), and stroke largely decreased in a step-wise manner from highest (≥ 5) to lowest PIR (< 1). In adjusted analysis, we also noted a mostly dose-dependent association of PIR with the risk of all-cause and cardiac mortality during a mean 5.7 and 5.8 years of follow up, respectively. Our study demonstrates a largely dose-dependent association of PIR with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, CHF, CAD and stroke prevalence as well as incident all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality in a nationally representative sample of American adults. Public policy efforts should be directed to alleviate these disparities to help improve cardiovascular outcomes in vulnerable groups with low family income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Telemental health may increase access to care; there has been little research on efficacy with those at the lower end of the income distribution. The purpose of this study was to determine whether lower vs. higher income patients receiving telepsychiatric care for depression achieve: (1) effective symptom reduction and (2) similar outcomes. Methods: Data utilized were obtained from a national mental health telehealth company and consisted of 5,426 U.S.-based patients receiving psychiatric care for moderate to severe depression between October, 2018 and January, 2022. Propensity matching was used to create lower and higher income samples (n = 379 in each) using 22 covariates. These samples were then compared using repeated measures ANOVA on Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores at start of treatment, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 weeks. Results: Both lower and higher income groups made significant improvement over time, with groups averaging mild symptom severity by week 16. There was a significant group x time interaction, such that the lower income group had significantly greater depression severity at the last two timepoints. Conclusion: Lower and higher income groups both made significant improvement in depression symptom severity over time following initiation of psychiatric treatment via a telehealth platform, though higher income individuals, all else being equal besides employment, tend to do better. These findings suggest that when lower income individuals do participate in care, good outcomes can be achieved. Further research is needed to better understand the role social determinants of health (SDOH) play in outcome disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shrimp farming is an important economic activity practiced on the coast of the state of Sergipe, being responsible for the income of many families and local commerce. Even so, there are no studies that address the characterization of its production. Therefore, the present study aimed to characterize the productive model adopted by the farmers in the coast of the state of Sergipe, to analyze the legal situation of the enterprises and the socioeconomic aspects of the activity in the local population. For this, a survey of all the databases on shrimp farming available at the Shrimp Breeders Association of the State of Sergipe, the State Environmental Administration and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics was carried out. In Sergipe small enterprises predominate, mainly adopting a family model. The majority (53.62%) of the producers have up to 2 nurseries, and 66% produce in areas under 1 hectare, with semi-extensive farming, low mechanization of production and practiced by a large number of low-income people. The Greater Aracaju region stood out because of its high activity concentration. The study allowed to analyze the activity of shrimp farming in the state of Sergipe, indicating the characteristics of this activity, serving as a basis for its socioeconomic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illegal dumping is a matter of concern particularly to local municipalities which are incapable of handling and managing volumes of waste produced from households. This study used a quantitative research design for fieldwork observation and structured questionnaires across three residential classes to assess the intensity and determinants of illegal waste dumping. Based on residential class (low, medium, and high), we found that the low-income areas had more problems of waste management compared to the medium and high-income residential areas. The low-income residents were without access to municipal waste collection services and opted to dump waste illegally. The Chi-square test showed positive significant relationship between the intensity of illegal waste dumping and several socio-economic variables of the respondents such as household income (12.063), gender (8.031), education (7.471) and age (7.945). We therefore suggest that besides communities taking initiatives such as recycling and composting if waste is not collected, urban stakeholders should be more focused on the highly low-income communities. The study has critical planning implications for sustainable waste management and environmental integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Evidenciação Contábil & Finanças is the property of Revista Evidenciacao Contabil & Financas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

B Comment on the article 'Differences in Treatment Patterns and Outcomes of Acute Myocardial Infarction for Low- and High-Income Patients in 6 Countries', recently published in JAMA, https://doi.org/jama.2023.1699. b Key points This is a cross-sectional cohort study based on population-representative administrative data from an International Health System Research Collaborative (IHSRC) involving six countries [United States (USA), Canada (only two provinces), England, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Israel)] aiming to determine whether treatment patterns and outcomes for elderly patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) differ for low- vs. high-income individuals.[1] The authors' hypothesis was that there would be larger income-based disparities in the USA than in other countries. High-income patients were defined as those living in areas (e.g. postal code) in the top 20% of the income distribution and low-income as those living in areas in the bottom 20% of the income distribution. Rates of CABG surgery were comparable among low- vs. high-income patients presenting with STEMI, whereas they were 1% to 2% higher among high-income patients presenting with NSTEMI. [Extracted from the article]

Household equivalence scales serve a key role in measuring income poverty. This paper analyzes poverty trends and levels under a set of alternative equivalence scales for Argentina and explores how the use of different scales modifies the demographic composition of the poor population. Results suggest that poverty levels are indeed affected by the choice of the scale, although trends are robust. There is evidence of changes in the demographic profile of the poor in favor of certain household types according to the scale employed. Results depend on how the poverty line is set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental income is negatively and linearly related to the digit ratio (2D:4D; a proxy for prenatal sex steroids) of their children. Children of parents with high income are thought to be exposed to higher prenatal testosterone and develop lower 2D:4D. It is further hypothesized that 2D:4D relates to sexual orientation, although it is unclear whether the association is linear or curvilinear. Here, we consider patterns of parental income and its association with the sexual behavior of their adult children in a large online study (the BBC internet study). There were curvilinear relationships with parental income in male and female children. The highest frequencies of homosexuality and bisexuality were found in the lowest income group (bottom 25% of the population), the lowest frequencies in the income group representing the upper 50% of the population, and intermediate values in the other groups (low 50% and top 25% of the population). Parental income showed a U-shaped association with scores for same-sex attraction and an inverted U-shaped association with opposite-sex attraction. Thus, for the first time, we show that same-sex attraction is related to parental income. The curvilinear relationship between parental income and sexual behavior in their adult children may result from an association between very high fetal estrogen or testosterone and attraction to partners of the same sex. Among non-heterosexuals, and in both sexes, very high fetal estrogen may be associated with femme or submissive sexual roles, and very high fetal testosterone with butch and assertive sexual roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research uses an index to measure economic resilience, but the index is inadequate because it is impossible to determine which disturbance factors have the greatest impact on the economic resilience of cities. This study aims to develop a new methodology to measure the economic resilience of a city by simultaneously examining unwanted conditions and disturbance factors. The ratio of regional original income to the number of poor people is known as Z and is identified as a measure of economic resilience in Indonesia. Resilience is measured by Z's position in relation to the unwanted area following a specific level of disturbance. If Z is in the unwanted condition, the city's per capita income will decrease, and the city will be considered economically not resilient. The results of the analysis show that six levels of economic resilience have been successfully distinguished based on research on 514 cities in Indonesia involving nine indicators of disturbance and one variable of economic resilience during the five-year observation period, 2015–2019. Only 3.11 percent of cities have economic resilience level 1, while 69.18 percent have level 0. Economically resilient cities consist of 4.24 percent of cities at level 2, as much as 3.39 percent at level 3, as much as 3.39 percent at level 4, and as much as 16.69 percent at level 5. The novelty of this research is to provide a new methodology for measuring the economic resilience of cities by integrating unwanted conditions as necessary conditions and disturbance factors as sufficient conditions. The measurement of a city's economic resilience is critical to help the city government assess the security of the city so the government can take preventive actions to avoid the cities falling into unwanted conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate how parental income during an individual's upbringing relates to his or her effectiveness as a leader after entering an organization. Drawing on research on the psychological effects of income, social learning theory, and the integrative trait-behavioral model of leadership effectiveness, we propose a negative, serially mediated association between higher parental income and lower future leader effectiveness via high levels of narcissism and, in turn, reduced engagement in behaviors that are viewed as central to the leadership role .We test our model using multisource data collected from active soldiers in the United States Army. Results reveal that parental income exerts indirect effects on leadership effectiveness criteria because (a) parental income is positively related to narcissism as an adult, (b) narcissism relates negatively to engaging in task-, relational-, and change-oriented leadership behaviors, and (c) reduced engagement in these behaviors relates to lower leader effectiveness. Our investigation advances theory by identifying pathways through which parental income relates to the effectiveness of leaders in organizations, and by illuminating the origins of a trait--narcissism--that predicts the behavior and effectiveness of leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the education system in Sri Lanka, similar to many countries in the world. As a result, the mode of education shifted from conventional face-to-face classes to online mode. The main objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the changes to the educational system due to the COVID-19 pandemic among engineering undergraduates of Sri Lanka over three identified pandemic periods. Quantitative descriptive analysis was used together with chi-square statistics to answer the research questions using the data collected through a google survey from engineering undergraduates in Sri Lanka. According to the results, students' attendance in online classes has improved over time compared to the initial pandemic period. Nearly 50% of students' family income has been impacted, either stopped or reduced due to the pandemic. Most students have issues regarding computing devices, internet connectivity, and the home environment. According to the chi-square statistics results, few of these issues had a statistically significant relationship between the family income; lower the income, higher the negative impact on students. More than half of the students felt isolated when studying at home during the pandemic. Still, more than 50% of students agreed that lecturers were well prepared to guide and deliver lessons remotely. The overall recommendations of the study are implementing workshops, training on new technologies, awareness programs for educational stakeholders, providing incentives to purchase digital devices, and improving internet connectivity to improve the new standard education system of Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainstream economic theory is replete with assumptions that feed into structural or systemic racism. It supports an economic system that severely disadvantages people at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum, which in the U.S. includes a disproportionate number of Hispanics, indigenous people, and descendants of slaves ((would Afro-Americans be more appropriate?)). The paper discusses 15 such assumptions that are generally trivialized, including the crucial role information costs play in decision making. In turn, costly information implies that its acquisition by poor people requires a greater share of their income, making it more difficult for them to make well-informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurnal Ilmu Ekonomi Terapan is the property of Universitas Airlangga and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Poverty is characterized by a scarcity of resources and a threat of certain stereotypes. However, the effects of stereotype threat are largely dependent on various factors, both negative and positive. Few psychophysiological studies have studied the effects of poverty stereotype threats on inhibition ability in wealth and impoverished individuals. Methods: To fill this gap in the literature, this study used the event‐related potential (ERP) technique to explore the brain mechanisms associated with stereotype threat in 135 participants. Results: Behavioral results showed that the rich group (participants from higher‐income families) had better inhibition ability than the impoverished group (participants from lower‐income families), with significantly shorter reaction time and significantly greater accuracy for poverty‐related stimuli when in the nonthreat condition. Additionally, poverty stereotype threat could improve performance of the impoverished group for poverty‐related stimuli. The electrophysiological results showed significantly larger P3 mean amplitude and significantly longer P3 latency in the rich group than the impoverished group in the nonthreat condition. Although no significant between‐group differences were found in the threat condition, the results show that the effect of poverty stereotype threat varies with different income‐level persons, for both behavioral and P3 data. Conclusion: These findings suggest that impoverished people have worse inhibition abilities. Further, poverty stereotype threat has different effects on people according to their income level and could help to explain irrational consumption behaviors in people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the literature by analysing how poor the income poor are in European countries. Using data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, I go beyond average estimates of the intensity of poverty and analyse the distribution of individual-level poverty gaps in each country of interest. As a next step, I identify which personal and household characteristics predict how far away incomes of the poor fall from the poverty line. The results indicate that, in most European countries, half of the poor have income shortfalls not exceeding 30% of the poverty line whereas only a few percent of the poor have income deficits of 80% and more. The results also suggest that traditional poverty correlates (e.g. age, gender, educational background) are not always significantly associated with the size of normalised poverty gaps at the individual level, or the nature of these associations differs as compared to when the same characteristics are linked to the probability of being poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many models of corruption where enforcement is unbiased, the rich are more likely to pay bribes for their children's education, implying that corruption reduces educational inequality. We develop models of bribery that reflect the fact that in developing countries, anticorruption enforcement is not unbiased, and higher income of a household is associated with higher bargaining power and better quality of institutions. In models of biased enforcement, the rich are less likely to pay bribes, making bribery regressive. The OLS estimates of the effects of household income are likely to find spurious progressivity in the incidence of bribery in schools. We exploit temporary rainfall shocks to provide suggestive evidence on the ability‐to‐pay effect, while long‐term rainfall differences capture the combined 'poor people' and 'poor area' effects. We find that the poor are more likely to pay bribes, and the amount paid does not depend on household income. The evidence rejects the ability‐to‐pay and related models based on unbiased enforcement, and is consistent with the 'refusal‐to‐pay model' of bargaining power where the rich decline to pay bribes. 'Free schooling' is free only for the rich, and corruption makes the playing field skewed against the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To enhance the understanding of the moderating influence of different bottom of the pyramid (BOP) income segments on the antecedents of pro-poor innovation acceptance. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, 320 BOP consumers with a range of low-to-moderate literacy and low-income levels were used as a convenience non-probability sample for undertaking quantitative analyses. Findings: Only the influence of perceived usefulness on intention is moderated by income segments, such that the effect will be stronger for low-income BOP segment. Moreover, the influences of relative advantage, compatibility and observability on intention are moderated by income segments. Practical implications: This empirical work has considerable private sector and public policy implications for companies and government designing/selling products for millions of poor people in developing and emerging economies. Originality/value: This study contributes originally to knowledge in the subject area as there are very few studies that clearly and systematically analyse the key antecedents influencing the adoption intention of pro-poor technological innovations in the BOP market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Less educational training is consistently associated with incident dementia among older adults, but associations between income and financial strain with incident dementia have not been well tested in national samples. This is an important gap because, like education, financial resources are potentially modifiable by policy change and strengthening the social safety net. This study tested whether financial resources (income and financial strain) predict six-year incident dementia independent of education and occupation.Methods: The National Health and Aging Trends Study is a prospective cohort study that recruited a nationally representative sample of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years. Incident dementia (2013 to 2018) was classified based on diagnosis, cognitive test scores or proxy-reported changes among participants dementia-free in 2012 (n = 3785). Baseline socioeconomic measures included income to poverty ratio (analyzed separately for those < 500% vs. ≥500% poverty threshold), financial strain, education and history of professional occupation. Discrete time survival analysis applied survey weights to account for study design and nonresponse. Coefficients were standardized to compare the strength of associations across the four socioeconomic measures.Results: Adjusting for socioeconomic measures, demographic characteristics, home ownership, retirement, chronic conditions, smoking, BMI and depressive symptoms, higher income (hazard OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.74, 0.95 among those < 500% poverty) and higher education (hOR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.83) were associated with lower odds, and financial strain with higher odds (hOR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.31), of incident dementia.Conclusion: Low income and greater financial strain predict incident dementia among older adults and associations are comparable to those of low education among U.S. older adults. Interventions to mitigate financial strain through improving access to economic opportunity and strengthening safety net programs and improving access to them in low income groups may complement other ongoing efforts to prevent dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Currently, Malaysia uses the Poverty Line Income (PLI) to measure poverty. This is because income measurement is the easiest way to collect data, but in its simplicity, it fails to capture the broader meaning and implications of poverty. Asset index is one of the non-monetary poverty measurements which have been established by researchers but not used in measuring poverty in Malaysia. A household might be poor in income, but assets may prevent them from being trapped in poverty. Design/methodology/approach: This study will reassess the poverty of 302 households in the Northern States of Malaysia using the asset index and also the current state of poverty incidence with change under asset index. Findings: The results show that households in the Northern States of Malaysia are interpreted as being 'poorer' when poverty is measured using assets as opposed to income alone. Besides that, poverty incidence of Malay households, households living in urban area and households with middle-aged heads have high poverty incidence, while households with a head of households that is single and highly educated have low poverty incidence. The logistic regression analysis shows that the determinants of poverty incidence based on the asset index are Indian, Penang and Perak State, the age of the head of household, distance to the education centre from home. Originality/value: This study shows the asset index measurement which have not been done in Malaysia. This will contribute to the improvement of poverty measurement of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2001, Norwegian tax records became easily accessible online, allowing everyone in the country to observe the incomes of everyone else. According to the income comparisons model, this change in transparency can widen the gap in well-being between richer and poorer individuals. Using survey data from 1985–2013 and multiple identification strategies, we show that the higher transparency increased the gap in happiness between richer and poorer individuals by 29 percent, and it increased the life satisfaction gap by 21 percent. We provide back-of-the-envelope estimates of the importance of income comparisons, and discuss implications for the ongoing debate on transparency policies. (JEL D31, H24, I31, K34) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the decreasing of the poverty level in Ukraine according to statistics, some categories of population (pensioners, families with children) are quite vulnerable due to low food consumption. Even in the developed countries, there is a long-standing practice of supporting the vulnerable population through the provision of food subsidies. Reasoning from this fact, initiatives to introduce the food subsidies in Ukraine may be appropriate. The article compares the methodical approaches that can be used to determine the size of food subsidies in Ukraine. The two methodical approaches were compared by the author: the first is used in the framework of the SNAP program in the USA, the second used to determine the amount of the subsidy for utility bills in Ukraine. There were identified the fundamental differences between them: first, the difference between the percentage of family income that can be directed towards food purposes; second, the differences in the list of categories of income that are taken into account in determining total income; third, the fundamental difference of the US methodology, which uses the concept of net income; fourth, the use of a regressive scale of subsidy provision in the USA. It was found that the amount of food subsidy, calculated according to both methodical approaches, did not differ significantly (about 5 %). At the same time, the SNAP methods is somewhat simpler in terms of calculation and more adapted for the purpose of food subsidies, but the adapted domestic methods may be more acceptable for the authorities in view of its practical use in Ukraine. Considering the US experience, author proposes to limit the food subsidies to unprocessed products only; particularly during the first stage, they may be raw vegetables and fruits. In addition, the feasibility of supporting the demand for products produced by domestic farmers was substantiated. Given the predominance of small agricultural producers in the fruit and vegetable sector, this can be an effective incentive for the development of small family farms. It was estimated the amount of budget funds required for the introduction of food subsidies to provide vegetables and fruits for poor families in Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was aimed at analyzing the saving behavior of Saudi households in AL-HASA governorate, the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Data was collected via questionnaire randomly distributed to a sample of 308 Saudi households. The poverty line income was estimated as equivalent to break-even level in saving function, was estimated at 10500 Saudi Riyals per month. Using OLS method consumption and saving functions for Saudi households in AL-HASA governorate were estimated. The marginal propensity to save for poor was higher than that of non-poor households with a statistically significant difference of about 0.35. This indicates that poor households are more willing to save compared to non-poor households if income increases for both. For the determination of factors affecting saving behavior, the study applied the binary logistic regression, using maximum likelihood method with the dependent binary dummy variable of two values defining saving and non-saving households. Results indicated that the probability of saving for non-poor households is affected positively by household income; however, both the size of household and the dwelling type realized negative effects. Hence, the probability of increased saving for a rise in household income by SR 1,000 /month was estimated at 12.5%. In the case of an increase in the number of family members by one person, the probability of saving was less than 29.4%. The probability of saving for households living in rented houses was 60.6% less than the probability of saving for household living in their owned houses. Hence, residential rent represent an obstacle to saving for non-poor households. The most important factor influencing the probability of saving for poor households is number of family labor, where an increase in the number of workers in the poor family by one factor increases the probability of saving 34.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies alcohol consumption among low-income workers in India. In a 3-week field experiment, the majority of 229 cycle-rickshaw drivers were willing to forgo substantial monetary payments in order to set incentives for themselves to remain sober, thus exhibiting demand for commitment to sobriety. Randomly receiving sobriety incentives significantly reduced daytime drinking while leaving overall drinking unchanged. I find no evidence of higher daytime sobriety significantly changing labor supply, productivity, or earnings. In contrast, increasing sobriety raised savings by 50 percent, an effect that does not appear to be solely explained by changes in income net of alcohol expenditures. (JEL C93, D14, I12, J22, J24, J31, O12) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nova Economia is the property of Nova Economia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on the conditions underlying poverty in various countries. Most of the poor people in the world are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. The income and welfare of poor in low income countries can be improved significantly with the optimal use of the production of capacity of the land to grow enough food for the increasing population. The improvement in population quality is the deciding factor of production in improving the welfare of poor people. Agriculture poor people respond well to better opportunities to improve the production.

This article examines the adequacy of various responses taken by low-income households toward income losses when the head of the family is disabled. A study was presented to examine the economic effects of disability on the family using data from the 1966 Social Security Survey of the Disabled. It showed that relatively few wives entered the labor force to compensate for their husband's disability. The study inferred that the only effective method of compensating for lost wages was the combination of public transfer payments with wages earned by household members who substitute their labor for the disabled worker.

This article focuses on a study commissioned by the Savings Banks Association of New York, which analyzes the needs of mutual savings banks (MSBs) directly. The study focuses on New York, which is reportedly the most important single savings bank state in the United States. It is explained in the article that savings banks in New York held 57 percent of total MSB deposits in 1970. The article reports that this approach is better than using national data because MSBs are found primarily in the New England and Middle Atlantic states and are affected by the environment in these states. The study's conclusion was that MSBs are philanthropic institutions, which help the working poor invest their small incomes.

Are low-income families victims of high prices in small neighborhood stores? This article goes beyond asking what prices small stores charge and examines the purchasing patterns of low-income families. What kind of stores do they patronize? Why? Do they use the convenience stores in the low-income areas? Do many buy food on credit? How well do they perceive price differences among stores? These are some of the questions answered through a survey in a Philadelphia redevelopment area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides commentary on personal expenditure and income analysis, specifically focusing on those who spend more than they earn, who are known as dis-savers. Data from the "Study of Consumer Purchases" and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics are presented. The data utilizes an accrual method for determining cost of living and adjusting for long term use of a product, such as a house, automobile or furniture. The primary concerns of the article are to determine patterns of 'dis-saving' and evaluating if 'dis-saving' is a sign of distress.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a creating a smoke-free home (SFH) on cessation and reduction of cigarette smoking on lowincome smokers. This secondary data analysis uses data from study participants who were originally recruited through 2-1-1 information and referral call centers in Atlanta (Georgia, 2013), North Carolina (2014) and the Texas Gulf Coast (2015) across three randomized controlled trials testing an intervention aimed at creating SFHs, pooling data from 941 smokers. Participants who reported adopting a SFH were more likely to report quitting smoking than those who did not adopt a SFH. This was true at 3-month follow-up and even more pronounced at 6-month follow-up and persisted when considering only those who consistently reported no smoking at 3 and 6 months. Among those who did not stop smoking, the number of cigarettes per day declined significantly more and quit attempts were more frequent for those who created a SFH compared with those who did not. Findings suggest that creating a SFH facilitates cessation, reduces cigarette consumption and increases quit attempts. Future studies should assess the longterm impact of SFHs on sustaining cessation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household financial vulnerability is an important area of research in household economic studies. Hence, a number of studies have attempted to identify the factors that make households vulnerable to financial shocks. In Malaysia, the research is scant on this topic especially when it comes to low-income households. Therefore, the study aims to identify the macroeconomic factors that make the household vulnerable to financial shocks. For this purpose, the study uses the autoregressive distributed lag modelling approach as an estimation technique. The results revealed that household debt, prices of goods, interest rate and unemployment have a positive long-run relationship with household financial vulnerability while income has a negative relationship. Further analysis confirms that these predictors of financial vulnerability also affect the low-income groups. This study would be of interest to the academicians and policy makers in the area of household economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the definition of the National Institute of Statistics, the relative poverty rate represents the proportion of the poor (according to the relative estimation method) in the total population. It is considered poor people in households with an adult-equivalent income (including or exclusive of own resource consumption) lower than the poverty threshold. This indicator is currently determined for the 60% threshold of the median of adultequivalent income. The indicator is sometimes referred to as "the risk of poverty". To analyze the dynamics of the relative poverty rate for the period considered, we used the statistical indicators of the chronological series, respectively the absolute, relative and average indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the determinants of access to formal credit by poor households in South Africa. Despite some progress in poverty reduction in the recent years, it remains astonishingly high by historical and international standards. Access to credit is believed by some scholars to be a primary means to address poverty and improve the standards of living of poor households. Thus, it is necessary to identify the determinants of the propensity to borrow and of the amount that is borrowed. Using 2008-2012 data from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), a Heckman Selection model was estimated. The results from this study suggest that age of the household head, race, educational level, gender, employment, geographic location of households affect the propensity to borrow by poor households in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological public welfare positions policy, which involves low-income people in ecological conservation work, is an essential practical innovation for China to achieve mutual benefits in ecological protection and poverty alleviation. This study explored the effect of participation in ecological public welfare positions (PEPWP) on farmers' household income composition and clarified the internal mechanism by propensity score matching (PSM) and conditional process analysis, based on the field data from 508 formerly registered impoverished households in Jiangxi Province and Hubei Province, China. Results showed that (1) PEPWP was characterized by "self-selection", which significantly increased farmers' wage level, planting income in Jiangxi Province, and husbandry income in Hubei Province after the elimination of selectivity bias. However, the effect on other sub-incomes was insignificant. (2) There was a moderated mediating model between PEPWP and agricultural income, which demonstrated that farmer's development motivation (FDM) played a partially mediating effect between PEPWP and FDM, and the frequency of skill training (FST) moderated the first part path of this model. (3) EPWP policy steadily increased farmers' income at the vulnerable livelihood level and greatly improved the regional environment. At the same time, it also played an active role in stimulating FDM and rural governance. Conclusions indicated that it was significant to diversify the channels for promoting growth in rural incomes, and pay attention to skill training and the multi-functional role of ecological custodians, in order to activate FDM and assist farmers in eradicating poverty sustainably. [Display omitted] • Reveal the effect of ecological public welfare positions (EPWP) on farmers' income. • EPWP can increase household income accompanying with sub-income diversification. • The impact of EPWP on income is mediated by farmer's development motivation. • Frequency of skill training moderates the internal mechanism of EPWP on income. • The environmental-economic-social benefits of EPWP are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the relationship between food insecurity and coping strategies (actions taken to manage economic stress) hypothesized to worsen glucose control in patients with diabetes.Design: Using a cross-sectional telephone survey and clinical data, we compared food-insecure and food-secure individuals in their use of coping strategies. Using logistic regression models, we then examined the association between poor glucose control (glycated Hb, HbA1c≥8·0 %), food insecurity and coping strategies.Setting: An urban medical centre, between June and December 2013.Subjects: Four hundred and seven adults likely to be low income (receiving Medicaid or uninsured and/or residing in a zip code with >30 % of the population below the federal poverty level) with type 2 diabetes.Results: Of respondents, 40·5 % were food insecure. A significantly higher percentage of the food-insecure group reported use of most examined coping strategies, including foregone medical care, participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)) and use of emergency food programmes. Food insecurity was associated with poor glucose control (OR=2·23; 95 % CI 1·22, 4·10); coping strategies that were more common among the food insecure were not associated with poor glucose control. Among the food insecure, receipt of SNAP was associated with lower risk of poor glucose control (OR=0·27; 95 % CI 0·09, 0·80).Conclusions: While food insecurity was associated with poor glucose control, most examined coping strategies did not explain this relationship. However, receipt of SNAP among food-insecure individuals was associated with better diabetes control, suggesting that such programmes may play a role in improving health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substantial increase in economic inequality in favor of the upper income group in the United States and many other developed and developing nations during the past 30 years has become a major concern in public policy. Modifications of the standard measures of inequality, the Lorenz curve and Gini index, are proposed that better reflect the decline in the share of income received by the poor and middle portions of the income distribution relative to the upper end. A second pair of curves based on the fractions of either the middle or lower portion of the income curve that has the same share as the topu% and the areas between them and the line of equality are introduced. The proposed curves and related measures indicate that a noticeably greater change in the U.S. income distribution occurred during the 1967–2013 time period than are observed in the Lorenz curve and Gini index. The maximum difference between the proposed curves for the income and wealth data in the United Kingdom's 2010–2012 survey are greater than that of the Lorenz curve. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]