Class inequalities in access to social capital in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires

this paper analyzes social class inequalities in access to social capital. Quantitative methodology was used with data from the PI-Clases “Reproduction and social mobility in family trajectories and life courses” survey, conducted in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires in 2015 (n = 1065). Social capital measures where derived from the Position Generator (Lin, 2001) to identify the volume, status and range of the respondent’s networks. Results show that there are class inequalities in access to social capital in terms of the number of contacts, mean status of contacts, range of contact’s status and highest status of contacts. Also, the working class is more heterogeneous in its access to social capital, suggesting it has a sector that has network ties with people from the middle class and a sector with lower social capital. The observed trend is of gradational differences between class strata, with more marked inequalities between the service, intermediate and working class, but with fluid class boundaries without social segregation. Also, social capital is conditioned by intergenerational mobility trajectory, showing a trend of elasticity in the class composition of social relationships. The upwardly mobile can increase their access to social capital but don’t reach the same level as the intergenerationally stable, while the downwardly mobile retain some social capital from their class origins.     

Formal and Informal Risk Sharing in LDCs: Theory and Empirical Evidence

We develop and estimate a model of dynamic interactions in which commitment is limited and contracts are incomplete to explain the patterns of income and consumption growth in village economies of less developed countries. Households can insure each other through both formal contracts and informal agreements, that is, self‐enforcing agreements specifying voluntary transfers. This theoretical setting nests the case of complete markets and the case where only informal agreements are available. We derive a system of nonlinear equations for income and consumption growth. A key prediction of our model is that both variables are affected by lagged consumption as a consequence of the interplay of formal and informal contracting possibilities. In a semiparametric setting, we prove identification, derive testable restrictions, and estimate the model with the use of data from Pakistani villages. Empirical results are consistent with the economic arguments. Incentive constraints due to self‐enforcement bind with positive probability and formal contracts are used to reduce this probability.     

Income redistribution in 20 countries over time

In most OECD countries, the gap between rich and poor has widened over the past decades. The present study analysed whether and to what extent direct taxes and social transfers contribute to this trend. The study contributes to the literature by disentangling several parts of fiscal redistribution in a comparative setting. We used micro‐data from the Luxembourg Income Study to examine household market inequality and redistribution from transfers and taxes for 20 countries from the mid‐1980s to the mid‐2000s. The contribution of each programme was estimated using a sequential accounting budget incidence decomposition technique. We observed a sizeable increase in primary household inequality, but tax‐benefit systems have offset two thirds of the average increase in primary income inequality. The public old‐age pensions attributed 60 per cent to the increase in redistribution, while social assistance accounted for 20 per cent. Direct taxes slowed down redistribution by 16 per cent.     

代际流动性对社会公平影响的实证研究

本文利用CHNS微观调研数据库,实证分析了中国代际收入弹性及其传递机制,以及收入、教育资源和社会阶层分布的不平等性。研究表明,我国收入差距经历了逐步扩大到趋于平稳的过程,而同期代际流动性则经历了先波动后提高的过程。人力资本投资和社会地位影响可以解释代际收入弹性的30%左右。教育公平为促进我国社会公平发挥了主要作用,随着机会公平性的不断改善,代际流动性也将不断提高,将进一步减小个体差异性,缩小收入差距,使中国社会走向机会公平、收入公平和社会公平。     

Do coresidency and financial transfers from the children reduce the need for elderly parents to works in developing countries?

Do elderly parents use coresidence with or financial transfers from children to reduce their own labour supply in old age? This paper is one of only a few studies that seeks to formally model elderly labour supply in the context of a developing country while taking into account coresidency with and financial transfers from children. We find little evidence that support from children—either through transfers or coresidency—substitutes for elderly parents’ need to work. Thus, as in developed countries, there is a role for public policy to enhance the welfare of the elderly population.     

中国老年人隔代照料与 健康后果的实证研究及政策思考

在中国家庭代际关系的研究中,隔代照料这一选题极为重要,隔代照料也是老年和家庭福利政策制定的重要影响因素。老年人隔代照料与健康问题日益受到国内学者的关注,但对两者相关性的深入实证考察较少,仅有的研究也未就隔代照料产生的健康后果达成共识,政策应对亦存局限。为此,本文基于2014年中国老年社会追踪调查(CLASS)截面数据,探讨中国老年人照料孙子女对自身健康产生的后果及几个主要变量之间的交互作用,对其进行量化研究并通过稳健性检验。研究得出三项基本结论:隔代照料的健康后果受到照料强度、子女特征、居住模式及老年人自身罹患慢性疾病状况的影响,在不同的特征状况下呈现不同的健康结果;照料者受教育程度、照料者性别、健在子女数等变量间的交互作用对被解释变量(照料者健康)产生了不同程度的调节作用,成年子女向上的代际支持也对老年照料者的健康发挥了调节作用;使用工具变量(照料者是否享受老年优待政策)进行因果识别在一定程度上克服了解释变量与被解释变量间的内生性问题。最后,本文基于上述实证研究的结果从代际关系视角、社会性别视角和老年婚姻社会功能等方面提出公共政策的应对思考,以期为制定相应的老年和家庭福利政策提供策略和依据。     

Intergenerational support and functional limitations among older Chinese immigrants: Does acculturation moderate their relationship?

ABSTRACT

Using a purposive sample of 236 older Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles, California, this study investigated the association between intergenerational support and functional limitations and the potential moderating effect of acculturation in such a relationship. The results of multiple regression analyses showed that receiving financial support from children and coresiding with offspring were significantly correlated with more limitations in instrumental activities of daily living. Perceived emotional cohesion with children was significantly correlated with fewer such limitations. The relationship between different dimensions of intergenerational support and functional limitations varied by acculturation. To prevent or reduce functional limitations, interventions need to consider acculturation.     

Unpacking intergenerational (IG) programs for policy implications: A systematic review of the literature

Intergenerational care is a program where both the younger and older generations are receiving programmed care in an environment where activities and resources are shared between them. Anecdotally, an intergenerational care program takes on many forms. This paper presents a systematic literature review of intergenerational care models. Our findings are relevant to policy makers as the paper highlights the opportunities to create an age-friendly environment by introducing intergenerational models in Australia, where intergenerational care development is in its infancy. Future research will help articulate the personal, social, and economic value of intergenerational care.     

Universal basic income: A feasible alternative to move people out of poverty in Mexico?

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of social policy to alleviate poverty in Mexico; where poverty is persistent, social programs are numerous and complex to monitor. Our analysis uses MEXMOD tax-benefit microsimulation. We simulate four scenarios that grant direct money transfers to individuals in multidimensional poverty, elderly people, families with children under 15 years old, and a universal basic income. The more generous and broader the coverage is, the costlier the policies. The first-best policy is the universal basic income, which can eradicate extreme poverty at the cost of 10.61 % of the gross domestic product. The least effective policy transfers only to older people.