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Hérault, Nicolas & Stephen P. Jenkins (2019): How valid are synthetic panel estimates of poverty dynamics? In: Journal of Economic Inequality, Jg. 17, H. 1, S. 51-76. DOI:10.1007/s10888-019-09408-8

Abstract

"A growing literature uses repeated cross-section surveys to derive 'synthetic panel' data estimates of poverty dynamics statistics. It builds on the pioneering study by Dang et al. ('DLLM', Journal of Development Economics, 2014) providing bounds estimates and the innovative refinement proposed by Dang and Lanjouw ('DL', World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 6504, 2013) providing point estimates of the statistics of interest. We provide new evidence about the accuracy of synthetic panel estimates relative to benchmarks based on estimates derived from genuine household panel data, employing high quality data from Australia and Britain, while also examining the sensitivity of results to a number of analytical choices. For these two high-income countries we show that DL-method point estimates are distinctly less accurate than estimates derived in earlier validity studies, all of which focus on low- and middle-income countries. We also demonstrate that estimate validity depends on choices such as the age of the household head (defining the sample), the poverty line level, and the years analyzed. DLLM parametric bounds estimates virtually always include the true panel estimates, though the bounds can be wide." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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McGregor, Thomas, Brock Smith & Samuel Wills (2019): Measuring inequality. In: Oxford review of economic policy, Jg. 35, H. Nol. 3, S. 368-395. DOI:10.1093/oxrep/grz015

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Meyer, Bruce D. & Nikolas Mittag (2019): Using linked survey and administrative data to better measure income. Implications for poverty, program effectiveness and holes in the safety net. In: American Economic Journal. Applied Economics, Jg. 11, H. 2, S. 176-204. DOI:10.1257/app.20170478

Abstract

"We examine the consequences of survey underreporting of transfer programs for prototypical analyses of low-income populations. We link administrative data for four transfer programs to the CPS to correct its severe understatement of transfer dollars received. Using survey data sharply understates the income of poor households, distorts our understanding of program targeting, and greatly understates the effects of anti-poverty programs. Using the combined data, the poverty-reducing effect of all programs together is nearly doubled. The effect of housing assistance is tripled. Correcting survey error often reduces the share of single mothers falling through the safety net by one-half or more." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Meyer, Bruce D., Derek Wu, Victoria R. Moores & Carla Medalia (2019): The use and misuse of income data and extreme poverty in the United States. (NBER working paper 25907), Cambrige, Mass., 60 S. DOI:10.3386/w25907

Abstract

"Recent research suggests that rates of extreme poverty, commonly defined as living on less than $2/person/day, are high and rising in the United States. We re-examine the rate of extreme poverty by linking 2011 data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation and Current Population Survey, the sources of recent extreme poverty estimates, to administrative tax and program data. Of the 3.6 million non-homeless households with survey-reported cash income below $2/person/day, we find that more than 90% are not in extreme poverty once we include in-kind transfers, replace survey reports of earnings and transfer receipt with administrative records, and account for the ownership of substantial assets. More than half of all misclassified households have incomes from the administrative data above the poverty line, and several of the largest misclassified groups appear to be at least middle class based on measures of material well-being. In contrast, the households kept from extreme poverty by in-kind transfers appear to be among the most materially deprived Americans. Nearly 80% of all misclassified households are initially categorized as extreme poor due to errors or omissions in reports of cash income. Of the households remaining in extreme poverty, 90% consist of a single individual. An implication of the low recent extreme poverty rate is that it cannot be substantially higher now due to welfare reform, as many commentators have claimed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bedük, Selçuk (2018): Understanding material deprivation for 25 EU countries. Risk and level perspectives, and distinctiveness of zeros. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 34, H. 2, S. 121-137. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcx089

Abstract

"Existing deprivation scales identify a majority of the population in each European Union (EU) country with zero deprivation. In this article, I hypothesize and test whether scoring zero on a material deprivation scale is a qualitatively different phenomenon to scoring at least one by applying and comparing multiple count models. I then examine how neglecting the distinctiveness of zeros, as the case in conventional models, influences our understanding of deprivation risk (deprived vs. non-deprived) and deprivation level (high vs. low deprivation), specifically regarding their relationship to social class. Consistently across 25 EU countries, the findings show that those with zero deprivation have significantly distinct profiles to those who have at least one deprivation. These results are robust to different weighting and index specifications. I then demonstrate how neglecting the distinctiveness of zeros results in significant underestimation of the strong social class gradient in risk of deprivation, and significant overestimation of the rather weak social class gradient in level of deprivation. Moreover, accounting for the distinctiveness of zeros reveals the conceptual difference between the risk and the level of deprivation given their different determinants, while conventional models identify the same determinants for both. These latter findings are also broadly consistent across 25 EU countries, with some exceptions in countries with very low level of zeros, such as Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania. Relevant scales with a zero threshold can be used to study deprivation or to measure poverty in the EU yet either with some reconsiderations of conceptual and data problems or using a consistent poverty approach." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Beste, Jonas, Markus M. Grabka & Jan Göbel (2018): Armut in Deutschland. Ein Vergleich zwischen den beiden Haushaltspanelstudien SOEP und PASS. In: Wirtschafts- und Sozialstatistisches Archiv, Jg. 12, H. 1, S. 27-62., 2018-02-19. DOI:10.1007/s11943-018-0221-4

Abstract

"Die Ergebnisse von Armutsanalysen auf Basis von Befragungsdaten unterliegen statistischen Unsicherheiten und möglichen systematischen Verzerrungen, deren Ursachen sowohl in der Pre-Data-Collection-Phase (z.B. bei der Stichprobenziehung), der Data-Collection-Phase (Unit- bzw. Item-Non-Response), als auch in der Post-Data-Collection-Phase (Gewichtung, Datengenerierung) liegen können. Um diese studienspezifischen Einflüsse bewerten zu können, kann ein Vergleich der Ergebnisse auf Basis von mehreren Datenquellen hilfreich sein. In dieser Untersuchung werden die Einkommensverteilungen, mehrere Armutsmaße, die identifizierten Armutsrisikoquoten von Subpopulationen, Armutsfaktoren, die Betroffenheit von dauerhafter Armut sowie Auf- und Abstiege mit den beiden Haushaltspanelstudien Panel 'Arbeitsmarkt und soziale Sicherung' (PASS) und soziooekonomisches Panel (SOEP) berechnet und miteinander verglichen. Als zusätzliche Referenz nutzen wir Ergebnisse zu Armut basierend auf dem Mikrozensus. Ziel dieses Vorhabens ist es, die Aussagekraft der Ergebnisse von Armutsanalysen besser einschätzen zu können. Zwischen den beiden Studien können signifikante Unterschiede in den Armutsmaßen festgestellt werden, welche sich allerding teilweise über den Beobachtungszeitraum auflösen. Eine Annäherung der in PASS bestimmten Armut an die Werte des SOEP kann entweder durch einen Ausfallsprozess in den ersten Erhebungsjahren der PASS-Studie oder durch eine Verbesserung der Datenqualität der Einkommensinformation bedingt sein. Die Resultate einer multivariaten Analyse auf die Wahrscheinlichkeit ein Einkommen unterhalb der Armutsschwelle aufzuweisen weichen zwischen den beiden Studien kaum voneinander ab. In der beobachteten Armutsdynamik weisen die beiden Panelstudien neben großen Gemeinsamkeiten auch klare Unterschiede auf. Insgesamt zeigt sich ein in vielen Bereichen vergleichbares Bild von relativer materieller Armut in den beiden Haushaltspanelstudien, das jedoch in einigen Punkten voneinander abweicht. Hieraus lässt sich die Relevanz für die Analyse von Armut anhand mehrerer verschiedener Datenquellen ableiten." (Autorenreferat, © Springer-Verlag)

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(2018): Armut stört. Schattenbericht der Nationalen Armutskonferenz. (Armut in Deutschland : Schattenbericht der Nationalen Armutskonferenz), Berlin, 38 S.

Abstract

"Am 17. Oktober 2018, dem Internationalen Tag zur Beseitigung der Armut, veröffentlicht die Nationale Armutskonferenz ihren dritten Schattenbericht zur Armut in Deutschland. Der Bericht gibt einen Überblick über den armutspolitischen Handlungsbedarf und lässt Betroffene zu Wort kommen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Bossert, Walter & Bhaskar Dutta (2018): The measurement of welfare change. (Warwick economic research papers 1151), Coventry, 13 S.

Abstract

"We propose and characterize a class of measures of welfare change that are based on the generalized Gini social welfare functions. In addition, we analyze these measures in the context of a second-order dominance property that is akin to generalized Lorenz dominance as introduced by Shorrocks (1983) and Kakwani (1984). Because we consider welfare differences rather than welfare levels, the requisite equivalence result involves linear welfare functions (that is, those associated with the generalized Ginis) only, as opposed to the entire class of strictly increasing and S-concave welfare indicators." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Desmond, Matthew & Bruce Western (2018): Poverty in America: New directions and debates. In: Annual review of sociology, Jg. 44, S. 305-318. DOI:10.1146/annurev-soc-060116-053411

Abstract

"Reviewing recent research on poverty in the United States, we derive a conceptual framework with three main characteristics. First, poverty is multidimensional, compounding material hardship with human frailty, generational trauma, family and neighborhood violence, and broken institutions. Second, poverty is relational, produced through connections between the truly advantaged and the truly disadvantaged. Third, a component of this conceptual framework is transparently normative, applying empirical research to analyze poverty as a matter of justice, not just economics. Throughout, we discuss conceptual, methodological, and policy-relevant implications of this perspective on the study of extreme disadvantage in America." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gallardo, Mauricio (2018): Identifying vulnerability to poverty. A critical survey. In: Journal of Economic Surveys, Jg. 32, H. 4, S. 1074-1105. DOI:10.1111/joes.12216

Abstract

"In the economic literature on poverty, various methods have been proposed for measuring a phenomenon known as 'vulnerability'. However, after more than a quarter century of research, no consensus has been reached on how to identify such vulnerable individuals within a given population. Some misunderstandings have also arisen from the overlapping of other closely related concepts, such as the expectation of being poor, expected poverty, multi-period poverty and risk exposure. This paper offers a detailed conceptual discussion on vulnerability to poverty and its related elements, reviewing a wide range of identifying criteria provided in the literature. It is found that according to the state of the art in this ?eld of research, two key elements stand out in identifying vulnerable individuals: an expected well-being below the poverty line and a relevant risk of falling into poverty due to downside deviation from a reference level of well-being. The traditional classi?cation of vulnerability approaches has been updated into four groups: (i) those that stress the element of exposure to risk; (ii) those that emphasize the element of expected poverty; (iii) those that de?ne vulnerability through a utility gap and (iv) those that are supported by a mean-risk dominance criterion." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Garbuszus, Jan Marvin, Notburga Ott, Sebastian Pehle & Martin Werding (2018): Wie hat sich die Einkommenssituation von Familien entwickelt? Ein neues Messkonzept. Gütersloh, 119 S. DOI:10.11586/2017050

Abstract

"Familien mit geringem Einkommen sind in den letzten 25 Jahren weiter abgehängt worden. Das ist das Ergebnis der vorliegenden Studie. Sie untersucht, wie sich das Haushaltseinkommen verschiedener Familientypen seit den 90er Jahren entwickelt hat und verwendet dabei ein neues Messkonzept, um Einkommen verschiedener Haushaltstypen vergleichbar zu machen. Erstmals für Deutschland ermitteln die Bochumer Wissenschaftler, welche zusätzlichen Kosten durch Kinder je nach Familientyp und Einkommensniveau entstehen. Dabei wird klar: je geringer das Familieneinkommen ist, desto schwerer wiegt die finanzielle Belastung durch jedes weitere Haushaltsmitglied.
Die Autoren kommen zu dem Ergebnis, dass bisherige Berechnungsmethoden auf der Grundlage der neuen OECD-Skala die Einkommen armer Haushalte systematisch über- und jene reicher Haushalte unterschätzt haben. Das führt zu Verzerrungen bei der Armutsmessung. So zeigt sich, dass die Armutsrisikoquote von Paarfamilien nach der neuen Berechnung knapp drei Prozentpunkte über den bisher ermittelten Werten liegt. Die Armutsrisikoquote Alleinerziehender lag nach früheren Berechnungen bei schon sehr hohen 46 Prozent, auf Basis der neuen Methode liegt sie bei 68 Prozent. Insgesamt sind Paarhaushalte mit Kindern und Alleinerziehende in den letzten 25 Jahren zudem im Durchschnitt durchgängig finanziell schlechter gestellt gewesen als Paare ohne Kinder." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Garbuszus, Jan Marvin, Notburga Ott, Sebastian Pehle & Martin Werding (2018): Development of family income since the 1990s. A fresh look at German microdata using income-dependent equivalence scales. (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 987), Berlin, 21 S.

Abstract

"Income inequality and poverty risks receive a lot of attention in public debates and current research. However, the situation of families that differ in size and composition is rarely considered more closely in this context. Relevant research typically relies on equivalence scales to make income comparable across different types of households. The standard approach for doing so is based on the so-called '(modified) OECD scale'. Instead, we apply income-dependent equivalence scales in this paper to assess how the financial situation of families living in Germany has developed since the early 1990s. Among other things, our results indicate that poverty risks for households with children - especially for single parents - are considerably higher than was previously found. We conclude that the application of income-dependent equivalence scales is required for applied research in income inequality, especially if one is concerned with the composition, not just the size of the population at poverty risk." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gutfleisch, Tamara & Hans-Jürgen Andreß (2018): Ein Deutschland, in dem wir gut und gerne leben. Welche Merkmale gehören nach Ansicht der Bevölkerung zum notwendigen Lebensstandard? In: Informationsdienst Soziale Indikatoren H. 59, S. 1-7.

Abstract

"Es ist eine sozialpolitisch wichtige Frage, ob sich ein minimaler Lebensstandard definieren lässt, über den man notwendigerweise verfügen muss, um in Deutschland ein gerade noch ausreichendes Leben zu führen. (...) Mit einem im GESIS Panel 2016 geschalteten Messinstrument wollen wir daher die aktuellen Meinungen der Bevölkerung zum notwendigen Lebensstandard in Deutschland erfassen und mit den Daten der Panelbefragung 'Arbeitsmarkt und Soziale Sicherung' (PASS) vergleichen. (...) Im Wesentlichen gehen wir in diesem Beitrag drei Fragen nach: (i) Wie kann man die Einstellungen der Bevölkerung über den notwendigen Lebensstandard erfassen? (ii) Gibt es in der Bevölkerung einen Konsens über das, was den notwendigen Lebensstandard ausmacht? (iii) Wie stabil sind die Einstellungen im Zeitablauf?" (Textauszug, © GESIS)

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Hufe, Paul & Andreas Peichl (2018): Inequality and unfairness in Europe. In: CESifo forum, Jg. 19, H. 2, S. 26-34.

Abstract

"In this paper, we consider three aspects of inequality that could provoke normative concern. Specifically, we will calculate summary statistics for each of these concerns and analyse the extent to which they are reflected in a standard measure of inequality: the Gini index. Firstly, we consider individual deprivation, i.e. the concern that some do not have sufficient means to make ends meet. Typically, poverty is calculated by partitioning the population into a poor and a non-poor fraction by means of a poverty line. An aggregation index is then applied to summarize the income distribution below the poverty line. The higher the poverty index, the unfairer the income distribution from the perspective of those who are poverty-averse. Secondly, we consider individual affluence, i.e. the concern that some have so much that they could tilt the balance of social processes in their favour. In analogy to poverty measurement the population is partitioned into an affluent and a nonaffluent fraction by means of a richness threshold. Then an aggregation index is applied to summarize the income distribution above the richness line. The higher the richness index, the unfairer the income distribution from the perspective of those who are affluence-averse. Thirdly, equality of opportunity, i.e. the concern that disparities among individuals are due to factors for which they should not be held responsible. Typically, inequality of opportunity is measured by comparing incomes across types that are defined by a set of factors beyond individual control. The larger the disparities across types, the more individual incomes are determined by factors beyond individual control, the unfairer the income distribution from the perspective of an opportunity-egalitarian." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jorgenson, Dale W. (2018): Production and welfare: Progress in economic measurement. In: Journal of Economic Literature, Jg. 56, H. 3, S. 867-919. DOI:10.1257/jel.20171358

Abstract

"While the GDP was intended by its originators as a measure of production, the absence of a measure of welfare in the national accounts has led to widespread misuse of the GDP to proxy welfare. Measures of welfare are needed to appraise the outcomes of changes in economic policies and evaluate the results. Concepts that describe the income distribution, such as poverty and inequality, fall within the scope of welfare rather than production. This paper reviews recent advances in the measurement of production and welfare within the national accounts, primarily in the United States and the international organizations. Expanding the framework beyond the national accounts has led to important innovations in the measurement of both production and welfare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Keita, Sekou & Pierre Mandon (2018): Give a fish or teach fishing? Partisan affiliation of U.S. governors and the poverty status of immigrants. In: European journal of political economy, Jg. 55, H. December, S. 65-96., 2017-11-09. DOI:10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2017.11.004

Abstract

"This paper investigates how governors' partisan affiliation affects the poverty status of immigrants to the U.S. To this end, we compare the poverty outcomes of immigrants in states ruled by Democratic governors relative to the outcomes for those in states ruled by Republican governors. We employ a regression discontinuity design using the re-centered Democratic margin of victory as a running variable, to overcome the identification challenge posed by confounding factors. Consistent with the literature on partisan affiliation, we find that immigrants are more likely to get out of poverty in states with Democratic governors than states with Republican governors. Our results are submitted to a variety of robustness checks and sensitivity tests, to assess the validity of the identification strategy, and highlight conditional lame-duck effects. A formal mediation analysis reveals that the empirical results are mediated through better access to the labor market and possibly through higher wages and labor earnings for immigrants. Last but not least, we check for alternative hypotheses and potential detrimental effects for native populations." (Author's abstract, © 2017 Elsevier) ((en))

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Lohmann, Henning & Ive Marx (Hrsg.) (2018): Handbook on in-work poverty. Cheltenham: Elgar, 508 S. DOI:10.4337/9781784715632

Abstract

"There has been a rapid global expansion of academic and policy attention focusing on in-work poverty, acknowledging that across the world a large number of the poor are 'working poor'. Taking a global and multi-disciplinary perspective, this Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of current research at the intersection between work and poverty.
Authoritative contributions from leading researchers in the field provide comprehensive coverage of conceptual and measurement issues, causal drivers and mechanisms, key empirical findings, policy issues and debates. The Handbook is unique in offering perspectives from a wide range of regions and countries, stretching beyond developed countries. It also does justice to the paradigmatic diversity in approaches to in-work poverty, offering a wealth of variety in disciplinary approaches." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Muñoz, J. F., E. Álvarez-Verdejo & R. M. García-Fernández (2018): On estimating the poverty gap and the poverty severity indices with auxiliary information. In: Sociological Methods and Research, Jg. 47, H. 3, S. 598-625. DOI:10.1177/0049124115626178

Abstract

"Many poverty measures are estimated by using sample data collected from social surveys. Two examples are the poverty gap and the poverty severity indices. A novel method for the estimation of these poverty indicators is described. Social surveys usually contain different variables, some of which can be used to improve the estimation of poverty measures. The proposed estimation methodology is based on this idea. The variance estimation and the construction of confidence intervals are also topics addressed in this article. Real survey data, extracted from the European Union Survey on Income and Living Conditions and based on various countries, are used to investigate some empirical properties of our estimators via Monte Carlo simulation studies. Empirical results indicate that the suggested methods can be more accurate than the customary estimator. Desirable results are also obtained for the proposed variances and confidence intervals. Various populations generated from the Gamma distribution also support our findings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pattanaik, Prasanta K. & Yongsheng Xu (2018): On measuring multidimensional deprivation. In: Journal of Economic Literature, Jg. 56, H. 2, S. 657-672. DOI:10.1257/jel.20161454

Abstract

"This essay presents a critical review of the recent book by Alkire et al. entitled Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis, and, in the course of doing so, it also discusses some general issues that come up in this context. We outline the basic structure of the problem of measuring multidimensional deprivation and critically evaluate the methodology adopted by Alkire et al. (2015). In particular, we discuss some problems associated with the methods used by them to identify the deprived and to aggregate individual deprivations so as to derive an index of social deprivation. We examine the interpretation in terms of unfreedoms of individuals, which Alkire et al. put on one of their measures of social deprivation. We also suggest a variant of their methodology for measuring multidimensional deprivation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schröder, Christoph (2018): Armutsgefährdung regional: neue Perspektiven durch Preisbereinigung. In: Zeitschrift für Sozialreform, Jg. 64, H. 4, S. 495-523. DOI:10.1515/zsr-2018-0024

Abstract

"Die Betroffenheit von relativer Einkommensarmut weist große regionale Unterschiede auf. In der herkömmlichen Betrachtung mit (nominal) bundeseinheitlichem Schwellenwert zeigt sich ein deutliches Ost-West-Gefälle (5 Prozentpunkte Differenz) und ein fast ebenso großer Stadt-Land-Unterschied. Ein nominal gleich hoher Einkommensschwellenwert hat in den verschiedenen Regionen Deutschlands jedoch eine unterschiedlich hohe Kaufkraft. Daher werden hier die Individualeinkommen um die regionalen Preisunterschiede bereinigt, und es wird analog zur Einkommensarmut die relative Kaufkraftarmut berechnet. Diese weist differenziertere regionale Muster mit einem stark ausgeprägten Stadt-Land-Gefälle aus: Die Unterschiede zwischen ostdeutschen und westdeutschen Bundesländern betragen bei der relativen Kaufkraftarmut 2 Prozentpunkte, die Differenz zwischen Stadt und Land dagegen fast 8 Prozentpunkte. Die hohe Betroffenheit der Städte ergibt sich zum einen aus dem dort hohen Preisniveau. Zum anderen ist der Bevölkerungsanteil von Gruppen mit deutschlandweit erhöhter Armutsgefährdung (beispielsweise Arbeitslose, Alleinerziehende, Personen mit Migrationshintergrund) in Städten überdurchschnittlich hoch. Zudem sind diese Gruppen in Großstädten besonders stark armutsgefährdet." (Autorenreferat, © De Gruyter)

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Schüssler, Reinhard (2018): Ein alternativer Ansatz zur Bemessung der Regelbedarfe in der Grundsicherung. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Jg. 67, H. 7, S. 573-593. DOI:10.3790/sfo.67.7.573

Abstract

"Der Beitrag greift die vielfältige Kritik am Verfahren zur Bemessung der Regelbedarfe in der Grundsicherung auf und entwickelt eine Alternative. Das gegenwärtig angewandte Verfahren der Bemessung der Regelbedarfe ist ein Hybrid aus 'Statistikmodell' und 'Warenkorbmodell'. Die vorgeschlagene Alternative gibt das 'Warenkorb'-Element zugunsten eines direkten Vergleichs zwischen der wirtschaftlichen Situation der Bezieher von Grundsicherungsleistungen und der wirtschaftlichen Situation 'mittlerer' Haushalte auf und betont den relativen Charakter der Bedarfs- oder Armutsgrenze. Dabei werden auch Elemente des EU-weit gebräuchlichen Verfahrens zur Bestimmung der 'Armutsgefährdung' verwendet. Das vorgeschlagene Verfahren verdeutlicht, dass ein nahezu reines, in sich konsistentes Statistik-Modell praktisch umsetzbar ist. Die vorgeschlagene Alternative ist transparenter. Sie kommt mit deutlich weniger Annahmen aus als das herkömmliche Verfahren. Sie macht den Unterschied zwischen dem regelgebundenen Rechengang auf der Grundlage empirischer Ergebnisse und politischer, normativer Setzung bei der Bemessung des Niveaus der Grundsicherungsleistungen deutlicher." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Stuth, Stefan, Brigitte Schels, Markus Promberger, Kerstin Jahn & Jutta Allmendinger (2018): Prekarität in Deutschland?! (WZB discussion paper P / Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, Forschungsgruppe der Präsidentin 2018-004), Berlin, 48 S.

Abstract

"Vor dem Hintergrund der sozialen Marktwirtschaft wird Prekarität als eine Folge von arbeitsmarkt- und sozialpolitischen Veränderungen diskutiert. Es wird bilanziert, dass der soziale Zusammenhalt der Arbeitsgesellschaft in Deutschland gefährdet ist. Im Anschluss an diese Diskussion geht die vorliegende Studie empirisch der Frage nach, ob ein Prekariat existiert: Gibt es Personengruppen, die trotz Erwerbstätigkeit dauerhaft in Unsicherheit leben? Konzentriert sich Prekarität hauptsächlich auf geringqualifizierte Personen oder ist sie vor allem an bestimmte Lebensphasen und -übergänge gebunden?
Damit Prekarität in ihren verschiedenen Facetten und Abstufungen erfasst werden kann, wird in dem vorliegenden Papier ein umfassendes Set an Indikatoren zur quantitativen, multidimensionalen Messung von (kumulativer) Prekarität vorgestellt. Auf Basis des Sozioökonomischen Panels (SOEP) werden je sieben Indikatoren operationalisiert, mit denen sowohl prekäre Beschäftigung als auch prekäre Haushaltslagen erfasst und im Zeitverlauf (1993-2012) analysiert werden können. Damit soll der Grundstein für eine quantitative Analyse von Prekarität gelegt werden, um vor diesem Hintergrund die Institutionen des Arbeitsmarkts und der sozialen Sicherung zukünftig neu bewerten zu können." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Becker, Irene (2017): Kritik am Konzept relativer Armut. Berechtigt oder irreführend? In: WSI-Mitteilungen, Jg. 70, H. 2, S. 98-107. DOI:10.5771/0342-300X-2017-2-98

Abstract

"Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden verbreitete Einwendungen gegen das Konzept relativer Einkommensarmut aufgegriffen und vor dem Hintergrund historisch-räumlicher Kontexte von statistischen Messkonzepten diskutiert. Eine grundsätzliche Kritik bezieht sich auf die Abstraktion vom Wohlstandsniveau. Sie ist allerdings nicht methodisch ausgerichtet, sondern richtet sich gegen die Fragestellung nach Armut im Sinne von Ausgrenzung und ist somit normativ begründet. Ausgangspunkt sind Vorstellungen von absoluter Armut, die nicht konkretisiert werden, während das Konzept relativer Einkommensarmut an Standards, aber auch Anforderungen in entwickelten Gesellschaften anknüpft. Weitere Kritik richtet sich konkret gegen die Indikatoren und bezieht sich meist auf Ungenauigkeiten infolge von eindimensionalen Messungen. Die damit verbundene Problematik wird aber meist einseitig dargestellt. Denn Unschärfen gehen in zwei Richtungen und kompensieren sich tendenziell. Die unausgewogene Fokussierung auf nur eine Seite ist also irreführend. Demgegenüber sind einige Einwendungen gegen konkrete Setzungen, die in die gängige Armutsmessung einfließen, durchaus berechtigt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Beste, Jonas (2017): Armut im Lebensverlauf. Messkonzepte in der Armutsforschung. (IAB-Bibliothek 366), Bielefeld: Bertelsmann, 252 S. DOI:10.3278/300956w

Abstract

"Die Armutsforschung arbeitet mit verschiedenen Messkonzepten und Datenquellen. Jonas Beste beleuchtet die am häufigsten verwendeten Ansätze auf Grundlage des Panels 'Arbeitsmarkt und soziale Sicherung' im Vergleich zu anderen Paneldaten. Er benennt Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede bei der Messung von Armut und beschreibt die verschiedenen Erscheinungsformen von Armut. Damit eröffnet er Einblick in folgende Zusammenhänge: Welchen Einfluss hat die verwendete Datenbasis auf das Ergebnis von Armutsanalysen? Wie lässt sich Deprivation im Lebensstandard bestimmen? Wie unterscheidet sich die Armutsdynamik nach verschiedenen Armutskonzepten? Welche Faktoren beeinflussen eine Veränderung des Lebensstandards? Wie erfolgt die Umwandlung von Ressourcen in Lebensstandard und welche Rolle spielen die finanzielle Situation eines Haushalts (Erwerbstätigkeit), individuelle Merkmale einer Person oder regionale Unterschiede?" (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

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Brandolini, Andrea, Stephen Jenkins & John Micklewright (2017): Tony Atkinson and his legacy. (IZA discussion paper 10869), Bonn, 29 S.

Abstract

"Tony Atkinson is universally celebrated for his outstanding contributions to the measurement and analysis of inequality, but he never saw the study of inequality as a separate branch of economics. He was an economist in the classical sense, rejecting any sub-field labelling of his interests and expertise, and he made contributions right across economics. His death on 1 January 2017 deprived the world of both an intellectual giant and a deeply committed public servant in the broadest sense of the term. This collective tribute highlights the range, depth and importance of Tony's enormous legacy, the product of over fifty years' work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Burgoon, Brian (2017): Practical pluralism in the empirical study of social investment. Examples from active labour-market policy. In: A. Hemerijck (Hrsg.) (2017): The uses of social investment, S. 161-173. DOI:10.1093/oso/9780198790488.003.0014

Abstract

"This chapter explores the empirical challenges of understanding the socioeconomic implications of social investment welfare reform. Such understanding is crucial to gauging the pay-offs and pitfalls of social investment, but is also extremely difficult, given the complex character of social investment and its multiple and interacting consequences for work and well-being. Such complexity, the chapter contends, yields an unusually strong tension between relevance and rigour that dooms any dialogue among social scientists and practitioners with clashing methodological commitments. The present study argues in favour of a practical pluralism to facilitate such dialogue. This pluralism entails combining and comparing empirical work across the full spectrum of relevance and rigour. The chapter illustrates the problems and pluralist solutions with a combination of macro-country-year and macro-individual-year analysis of how active labour-market policies (ALMP) affect the poverty of vulnerable citizens." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Chambers, Dustin & Shatakshee Dhongde (2017): Are countries becoming equally unequal? In: Empirical economics, Jg. 53, H. 4, S. 1323-1348. DOI:10.1007/s00181-016-1170-9

Abstract

"Literature on convergence in inequality is sparse and has almost entirely focused on the notion of testing beta convergence in the Gini indices. In this paper, for the first time, we test for sigma convergence in decile income shares across countries. We compile panel data on decile income shares for more than 60 countries over the last 25 years. Regardless of the level of development, within-country inequality increased; income shares of the poorest deciles declined and those of the top decile increased significantly. Importantly, the decile income shares exhibited a statistically significant decline in dispersion between 1985 and 2011, providing strong evidence of sigma convergence in inequality. Convergence was more prominent among developing countries and less so among developed countries. The findings are robust to an array of sensitivity tests. Our analysis suggests that cross-country income distributions became more unequal but noticeably similar over time." (Author's abstract, 䗏 Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Dudel, Christian, Jan Marvin Garbuszus & Julian Schmied (2017): Assessing differences in household needs. A comparison of approaches for the estimation of equivalence scales using German expenditure data. (Ruhr economic papers 723), Essen, 23 S. DOI:10.4419/86788843

Abstract

"Äquivalenzskalen werden routinemäßig angewandt, um Einkommen von Haushalten unterschiedlicher Größe und Zusammensetzung vergleichbar zu machen. Aufgrund ihrer praktischen Relevanz für die Messung von Ungleichheit und Armut wurden etliche Methoden für die Schätzung von Äquivalenzskalen vorgeschlagen. Bis jetzt wurde jedoch noch kein umfassender Vergleich dieser Methoden vorgenommen. In dieser Arbeit werden deutsche Haushaltsausgabedaten verwendet, um exakte Äquivalenzskalen mittels parametrischer, semi- und nichtparametrischer Verfahren zu ermitteln. Auf Basis eines einheitlichen Datensatzes kann gezeigt werden, dass sich die aus den unterschiedlichen Verfahren resultierenden Äquivalenzskalen nur wenig voneinander unterscheiden, mit der Ausnahme von wenigen Ausreißern. Die meisten der geschätzten Äquivalenzskalen sind nahe an der modifizierten OECD-Skala. Sie führen zudem zu relativ konsistenten Ergebnissen bei diversen Armuts- und Ungleichheitsmaßen. Insgesamt zeigt sich, dass die verschiedenen Schätzmethoden für Äquivalenzskalen zu einheitlicheren Ergebnissen führen als bisher gedacht." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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George, Henry, herausgegeben von D. Löhr (Hrsg.) (2017): Fortschritt und Armut. Eine Untersuchung über die Ursache der industriellen Krisen und der Zunahme der Armut bei zunehmendem Reichtum. Marburg: Metropolis-Verlag, 480 S.

Abstract

"Henry George, der bedeutende Bodenreform-Theoretiker, wurde verschiedentlich als der letzte große klassische Ökonom bezeichnet. Das Hauptwerk von Henry George war über Dekaden hinweg eines der am meisten gelesenen Bücher. Die auf den Arbeiten von Henry George beruhende Denkschule wird auch 'Geoklassik' genannt. Ausgangspunkt seiner Untersuchungen war die Fragestellung, warum gerade in den sich entwickelnden Industriegesellschaften trotz eines enormen Anstiegs der Produktivität die Armut überhandnahm. Henry George nahm dabei in vielerlei Hinsicht die Ideen der französischen Physiokraten wieder auf, ging allerdings gedanklich weit über diese hinaus. Er betrachtete - ähnlich wie die Physiokraten - Boden (incl. Natur) und Arbeit als die originären, und Kapital lediglich als einen abgeleiteten Produktionsfaktor. Damit steht das Werk von Henry George der neoklassischen Lehre diametral entgegen, welche die bis heute weitgehend 'bodenlose' Wirtschaftswissenschaft prägt. Obwohl Henry George zwar das Privateigentum an Grund und Boden grundsätzlich ablehnte, wollte er es aus politisch-pragmatischen Gründen nicht abschaffen. Stattdessen sollte es über die Wegsteuerung der Bodenerträge 'entkernt' werden. Zwar ist in Deutschland das Werk von Henry George weitgehend in Vergessenheit geraten, doch hat es v.a. in den angelsächsischen Ländern einen bleibenden Eindruck hinterlassen. Darüber hinaus beinhaltet insbesondere die ökonomische Verfassung der asiatischen 'Tigerstaaten' geoklassische Elemente. Allen voran zu nennen sind Hong Kong und Singapur, die ihre Staatsfinanzen zu einem großen Teil aus der Abschöpfung der Erträge und Werte des vornehmlich in staatlichem Eigentum liegenden Bodens bestreiten und im Gegenzug die konventionellen Steuern minimiert haben. So konnten sich diese Standorte innerhalb weniger Jahrzehnte von unbedeutenden Ansiedlungen zu Weltzentren von Handel und Finanzen entwickeln. Diese Ausgabe von 'Fortschritt und Armut' macht das Hauptwerk von Henry George nach vielen Jahrzehnten erneut in deutscher Sprache zugänglich." (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

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Hetschko, Clemens, Louisa von Reumont & Ronnie Schöb (2017): Embedding as a pitfall for survey-based welfare indicators. Evidence from an experiment. (CESifo working paper 6419), München, 31 S.

Abstract

"How can we assess the welfare of a society, its evolution over time and predict its change due to particular policy interventions? One way is to use survey-based welfare indicators such as the OECD Better Life Index. It invites people to weight a variety of quality of life indicators according to their individual preferences. 11 broad dimensions aggregate these indicators. Our experiment shows that people do not provide consistent ratings across differently labelled dimensions that embed the same indicators. They also do not adjust the rating of equally named dimensions changing sets of indicators. These results show that survey-based measures might suffer from strong embedding effects and, as a result, may fail to measure citizens' true preferences for the indicators." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jolliffe, Dean & Espen Beer Prydz (2017): Societal poverty. A relative and relevant measure. (Policy research working paper 8073), Washington, DC, 46 S.

Abstract

"Poverty lines are typically higher in richer countries, and lower in poorer ones, reflecting the relative nature of national assessments of who is considered poor. In many high-income countries, poverty lines are explicitly relative, set as a share of mean or median income. Despite systematic variation in how countries define poverty, global poverty counts are based on fixed-value lines. To reflect national assessments of poverty in a global headcount of poverty, this paper proposes a societal poverty line. The proposed societal poverty line is derived from 699 harmonized national poverty lines, and has an intercept of $1 per day and a relative gradient of 50 percent of median national income or consumption. The societal poverty line is more closely aligned with national definitions of poverty than other proposed relative lines. By this relative measure, societal poverty has fallen steadily since 1990, but at a much slower pace than absolute extreme poverty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kuypers, Sarah & Ive Marx (2017): The truly vulnerable: Integrating wealth into the measurement of poverty and social policy effectiveness. (IZA discussion paper 11069), Bonn, 18 S.

Abstract

"There is a burgeoning literature on the significance and distribution of wealth in the rich world. It mainly focuses on the top. Wealth remains remarkably absent from the analysis of poverty and the redistributive effectiveness of welfare systems. This paper shows that real and financial assets can matter greatly when making assessments of who is poor and financially vulnerable. We introduce the concept of triple precariousness, afflicting households that not only have low income but also very low or non-existent assets to draw on for consumption needs, especially liquid assets. We analyse whether these households - whom we might call the truly vulnerable - have different characteristics from those that we identify as poor or needy on the basis of pure income based metrics. In an analysis for Belgium drawing on HFCS data, we show that households with a reference person that is young, unemployed, low educated, migrant, parent of dependent children, and above all a tenant are especially vulnerable in terms of their financial situation. By contrast, our assessment of the extent and depth of financial need among the elderly - a segment of society that is at a relatively high risk of income poverty - also changes. A substantial share of income poor elderly households own significant assets. We draw out some tentative consequences of these findings for anti-poverty and redistributive policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Meyer, Bruce D. & Nikolas Mittag (2017): Using linked survey and administrative data to better measure income. Implications for poverty, program effectiveness and holes in the safety net. (IZA discussion paper 10943), Bonn, 54 S.

Abstract

"We examine the consequences of underreporting of transfer programs in household survey data for several prototypical analyses of low-income populations. We focus on the Current Population Survey (CPS), the source of official poverty and inequality statistics. We link administrative data for food stamps, TANF, General Assistance, and subsidized housing from New York State to the CPS at the household level. Program receipt in the CPS is missed for over one-third of housing assistance recipients, over 40 percent of food stamp recipients and over 60 percent of TANF and General Assistance recipients. Dollars of benefits are also undercounted for reporting recipients, particularly for TANF, General Assistance and housing benefits. We find that the survey sharply understates the income of poor households. Underreporting in the survey data also greatly understates the effects of anti-poverty programs and changes our understanding of program targeting, often making it seem that welfare programs are less targeted to both the very poorest and middle-income households than they are. Using the combined data rather than survey data alone, the poverty reducing effect of all programs together is nearly doubled while the effect of housing assistance is tripled. We also re-examine the coverage of the safety net, specifically the share of people without work or program receipt. Using the administrative measures of program receipt rather than the survey ones often reduces the share of single mothers falling through the safety net by one-half or more." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Tromp, Alexander (2017): The Effects of a Hybrid Negative Income Tax on Poverty and Inequality: a Microsimulation on the UK and Italy. (EUROMOD working paper 2017,15), Colchester: EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research, 78 S.

Abstract

"This paper aims to propose a social protection system that "decommodifies" labour and fulfills the properties of a Social Protection Floor satisfying revenue-neutrality. To this end, firstly, a Universal Basic Income (UBI) scheme is explored. Secondly, the UBI is transformed into a Negative Income Tax (NIT) scheme, providing universal protection instead of universal benefits. Finally, the NIT is modified into a Hybrid NIT (HNIT), being a mixture of NIT and a classic social assistance scheme. It features a 100% withdrawal rate, consequently allowing for a higher guaranteed minimum income level than would be possible with either an NIT or UBI. A static microsimulation, using the EUROMOD model, is conducted on the HNIT scheme, implementing two scenarios. One scenario establishes what the maximum levels of entitlements could be, assuming revenue-neutrality and current marginal tax levels. The other scenario assumes more generous entitlements and computes which tax rates would be necessary to pay for such a scheme. The models are applied to both Italy and the United Kingdom. The results are interpreted in terms of poverty and inequality statistics while closely looking into the assumptions of the microsimulation models. In the first scenario a modest level of guaranteed minimum income is feasible, decreasing both poverty and inequality decidedly compared to current levels. This effect is even stronger in the second scenario, however, it results in unrealistically high tax rates, especially for Italy. The impact on poverty and inequality of the HNIT scheme is markedly higher for Italy in both scenarios suggesting that the United Kingdom has currently a social protection system in place that redistributes more efficiently than Italy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Verma, Vijay, Achille Lemmi, Gianni Betti, Francesca Gagliardi & Mario Piacentin (2017): How precise are poverty measures estimated at the regional level? In: Regional science and urban economics, Jg. 66, H. September, S. 175-184. DOI:10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2017.06.007

Abstract

"There is an urgent policy need for regional (subnational) estimates for assessing regional policies and programmes. Often regional indicators, in particular those concerning poverty and social exclusion, have to be derived from surveys with sample size and design determined primarily to serve estimation at the national level. In the specific context of EU-SILC surveys and the Headline Indicator at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) and its components defined by European Commission, this paper aims to contribute to the methodology for constructing such indicators at the regional level. The main difficulty arises from the smallness of regional samples in national surveys. The paper focuses on two related issues: identifying procedures potentially useful for improving sampling precision of regional estimates; and improving the precision of sampling error estimates of regional statistics based on small but complex samples. In addition to some results presented for a large number of OECD countries, more detailed numerical illustration is provided for two countries (Austria and Spain) based on EU-SILC data." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gautié, Jérôme & Sophie Ponthieux (2016): Employment and the working poor. In: D. Brady & L. M. Burton (Hrsg.) (2016): The Oxford handbook of the social science of poverty, S. 486-504. DOI:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199914050.013.22

Abstract

"This article examines the phenomenon of working poverty and issues relating to employment and the working poor. It first provides an overview of the problems of definition and measurement regarding the working poor, along with the consequences of the diversity of definitions. In particular, it considers different current definitions of the statistical category 'working poor' and how definitions affect the assessment of the in-work poverty phenomenon. It also provides a 'statistical' portrait of the working poor and explores how the risk of working poverty has evolved in the 2000s. Finally, it discusses the causes of working poverty, including low income at the individual level and the role of welfare states, and outlines potential remedies in terms of public policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Guio, Anne-Catherine, Eric Marlier, David Gordon, Eldin Fahmy, Shailen Nandy & Marco Pomati (2016): Improving the measurement of material deprivation at the European Union level. In: Journal of European social policy, Jg. 26, H. 3, S. 219-233. DOI:10.1177/0958928716642947

Abstract

"In June 2010, European Union (EU) Heads of State and Government adopted a social inclusion target as part of the new 'Europe 2020 Strategy': to lift at least 20 million people in the EU from the risk of poverty and exclusion by 2020. One of the three indicators used to monitor progress towards this target is the EU indicator of severe material deprivation (MD). A main limitation of this indicator is the weak reliability of some of the items it is based on. For this reason, a thematic module on MD was included in the 2009 wave of the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey. This article assesses the 2009 EU-SILC MD data and proposes an analytical framework for developing robust EU MD indicators. It carries out a systematic item by item analysis at both EU and country levels to identify the MD items which satisfactorily meet suitability, validity, reliability and additivity criteria across the EU. This approach has resulted in a proposed 13-item MD indicator covering some key aspects of living conditions which are customary across the whole EU covering a broad range of basic (food, clothes, shoes, etc.) as well as social (Internet, regular leisure activities, etc.) necessities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kockläuner, Gerhard (2016): Die gemeinsamen Strukturen relativer Ungleichheitsmaße. In: Wirtschafts- und Sozialstatistisches Archiv, Jg. 10, H. 1, S. 9-14. DOI:10.1007/s11943-016-0178-0

Abstract

"Relative Ungleichheitsmaße besitzen in vielen Fällen eine gemeinsame Struktur: Sie lassen sich durch einen relativen Vergleich auf Basis verschiedener Lagemaße bzw. auch höherer zentraler Momente darstellen. Der Beitrag gibt einen diesbezüglichen Überblick. Darin werden neben dem Gini-Koeffizienten sowohl die Ungleichheitsmaße von Atkinson und Kolm wie auch die verallgemeinerten Entropiemaße von Theil behandelt." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Kus, Basak, Brian Nolan & Christopher T. Whelan (2016): Material deprivation and consumption. In: D. Brady & L. M. Burton (Hrsg.) (2016): The Oxford handbook of the social science of poverty, S. 577-601. DOI:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199914050.013.26

Abstract

"This article examines material deprivation and consumption in relation to poverty. In a developing country context, manifest material deprivation and inadequate levels of consumption have always been central to the conceptualization of poverty and living standards. Direct measures of failure to meet 'basic needs' are widely used alongside income-based measures such as the World Bank's 'dollar a day' standard. In contrast, both research and official poverty monitoring in rich countries tend to rely on household income. This article begins with a review of recent research on material deprivation, seen primarily as a means to go 'beyond income' in capturing poverty and exclusion. It then considers the mismatch between low income and measured deprivation, along with the notion of multidimensionality and the measurement issues raised in the implementation of multidimensional approaches. Finally, it analyzes conceptual and empirical issues relating to the contrast between income and consumption." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kuypers, Sarah & Ive Marx (2016): Estimation of joint income-wealth poverty. A sensitivity analysis. (IZA discussion paper 10391), Bonn, 23 S.

Abstract

"Most poverty studies build on measures that take account of recurring incomes from sources such as labour or social transfers. However, other financial resources such as savings and assets also affect living standards, often in very significant ways. Previous studies that have sought to incorporate assets into poverty measures suggest that (1) poverty estimates including wealth are considerably lower than income-based measures; (2) poverty rates of the elderly are more affected than those of the nonelderly and (3) poverty rates are especially affected by the household's main residence. This paper assesses the sensitivity of these conclusions to various plausible alternative assumptions, such as the poverty line calculation, the types of assets included in the wealth concept and choices with respect to the equivalence scale. Moreover, we check whether the impact of alternative assumptions is consistent across age and institutional settings. To that effect we compare Belgium and Germany, two countries with similar living standards and income poverty rates, but very different levels and distributions of wealth. Using data from the HFCS we show that accounting for wealth affects the incidence and age structure of poverty in a very substantial way. Country comparisons are also affected in very substantial ways." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Köhler, Theresa (2016): Income and wealth poverty in Germany. (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 857), Berlin, 48 S.

Abstract

"In general, poverty measures are estimated by applying income information. However, only using income data for calculating relative poverty might lead to an incomplete view. For example, a household can be under a poverty threshold even if a household member owns real estate or equity.
In this thesis, at risk of income poverty in Germany is estimated. In order to get a more complete picture of at risk of poverty, a multidimensional approach is applied. Not only at risk of income poverty, also at risk of wealth poverty is measured. Moreover, households that are both at risk of income and wealth poor are analyzed. Furthermore, several poverty groups are identified: twice-poor which are households that are, at risk of income and wealth poverty; protected-poor, households that are at risk of income poverty but not at risk of wealth poverty; vulnerable-poor, households which are at risk of wealth poverty but not at risk of income poverty; non-poor, households which are either at risk of income poverty nor at risk of wealth poverty. Poverty profiles in Germany and their changes over time are analyzed for the years 2002, 2007 and 2012. In fact, it is investigated to which degree at risk of poverty rates differ in socio-economic characteristics. A logit regression is applied for each dimension and each wave for estimation. For robustness checks, 95 percent bootstrap confidence intervals are calculated for all results.
Findings suggest that young age, region East Germany, single, lone parent, unemployment and low education are factors that condition the at risk of poverty rates. The definition of a certain rate influences the percentage of households that are affected by at risk of poverty, however, has a limited effect on poverty profiles. Poverty profiles have not changed over time but some factors such as unemployment and low education have significantly increased." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Smeeding, Timothy M. (2016): Poverty measurement. In: D. Brady & L. M. Burton (Hrsg.) (2016): The Oxford handbook of the social science of poverty, S. 21-46. DOI:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199914050.013.3

Abstract

"This article focuses on the complexities and idiosyncrasies of poverty measurement, from its origins to current practice. It first considers various concepts of poverty and their measurement and how economists, social statisticians, public policy scholars, sociologists, and other social scientists have contributed to this literature. It then discusses a few empirical estimates of poverty across and within nations, drawing primarily on data from the Luxembourg Income Study and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to highlight levels and trends in overall poverty, while also referring to the World Bank's measures of global absolute poverty. In the empirical examinations, the article takes a look at rich and middle-income countries and some developing nations. It compares trends in relative poverty over different time periods and in relative and anchored poverty across the Great Recession." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Terraneo, Marco (2016): A longitudinal study of deprivation in European countries. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 36, H. 5/6, S. 379-409. DOI:10.1108/IJSSP-05-2015-0058

Abstract

"Purpose: Poverty is one of the most significant economic and social problems that European countries have to face. In recent years, it has become widely accepted that poverty is a multidimensional concept and now many studies use indicators of deprivation to examine the phenomenon. The focus on financial resources alone does not capture people's quality of life as being poor means a lack of access to resources enabling a minimum standard of living and participation in the society within which one belongs. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach: Using a longitudinal component (2006-2010) of EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions data on 26 European countries, the author apply a second-order confirmatory factor analysis to estimate deprivation. To describe the patterns of change over time and to evaluate the role of household characteristics in deprivation level, the author employ a set of multilevel growth curve models.
Findings: Three findings clearly stand out from my analysis. First, there is great variability in deprivation between European countries. Second, European countries show various patterns of change in deprivation over time. Third, households with different characteristics have quite different deprivation levels; moreover, the impact of household characteristics on deprivation can vary over time and between countries.
Originality/value: This paper sheds light on the importance of analysing deprivation from a longitudinal perspective and that financial resources alone does not capture people's quality of life." (Author's abstract, © Emerald Group) ((en))

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Wilde, Mandy de & Thomas Franssen (2016): The material practices of quantification. Measuring 'deprivation' in the Amsterdam neighbourhood policy. In: Critical social policy, Jg. 36, H. 4, S. 489-510. DOI:10.1177/0261018316637138

Abstract

"The use of indicators and indexes in social policy, as part of evidence-based policy, is understood by governmentality scholars as 'techniques of governance'. However, we know very little about how the process of quantification is enacted in the material practices that constitute social policy itself. In this article we focus on a particular quantified object: the 'Normal Amsterdam Level' (NAP), used in an Amsterdam Neighbourhood Policy programme. We follow the NAP from its birth, to its life and its afterlife. We show that the qualification 'deprived' calls forth a whole set of problematic arrangements which are lost in a process of quantification. We understand the NAP as a generative device that actively assembles and arranges the world. These assemblages are rendered 'hard' through semiotic, statistical and visual techniques that produce facts about targeted neighbourhoods in relation to a city-wide average, thus serving as evidence and legitimisation for policy interventions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Boehle, Mara (2015): Armutsmessung mit dem Mikrozensus. Methodische Aspekte und Umsetzung für Querschnitts- und Trendanalysen. (GESIS papers 2015,16), Mannheim, 37 S.

Abstract

"Obgleich der Mikrozensus für zeitvergleichende und subgruppenbezogene Analysen relativer Einkommensarmut wesentliche Vorzüge bereithält, wird er in der Armutsforschung bislang wenig genutzt. Als ein möglicher Grund hierfür kann die im Vergleich zu anderen Datenquellen recht aufwändige Berechnung von Maßen zur Einkommensarmut erachtet werden, die aus der klassierten Erhebung des Haushaltseinkommens im Mikrozensus resultiert. Der vorliegende Beitrag zeigt, dass die klassierte Einkommenserhebung des Mikrozensus gerade für zeitvergleichende Armutsanalysen problematisch und daher ein rechnerischer Umweg notwendig ist. Unter einfacher Verwendung der Klassenmitte besteht die Gefahr, Artefakte in Zeitreihen zu erhalten und eventuell fehlerhafte sozialpolitische Schlussfolgerungen zu ziehen. Das in diesem Beitrag bereit gestellte Syntax-Tool zur Berechnung haushaltsspezifischer Armutswahrscheinlichkeiten stellt als Umsetzung des Berechnungsansatzes von Stauder und Hüning (2004) eine Möglichkeit dar, um diesen Problemen zu begegnen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Butterwegge, Christoph (2015): Der Streit um den Armutsbegriff. Polemiken, Probleme und Perspektiven. In: Soziale Sicherheit, Jg. 64, H. 11, S. 405-409.

Abstract

"Nachdem der Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband im Februar 2015 seinen letzten Armutsbericht vorgelegt hatte, in dem von einem 'neuerlichen Rekordhoch'der Armut in Deutschland die Rede war', entbrannte eine heftige (Medien-)Diskussion um den relativen Armutsbegriff. Seine Operationalisierung, d.h. die EU-offiziöse Festlegung der Armuts(risiko)grenze von 6o % des mittleren Nettoäquivalenzeinkommens und die Gleichsetzung von Armut und Armutsrisiko standen dabei im Zentrum der Kritik. Letztlich handelte es sich um einen Frontalangriff auf die wissenschaftliche Reputation von Armutsforschung und Sozialberichterstattung. Jetzt haben der Hauptgeschäftsführer des Paritätischen Wohlfahrtsverbandes Ulrich Schneider und vier Armutsforscher - darunter auch der Autor dieses Beitrags - auf diese Angriffe in einem gerade erschienenen Buch reagiert.' Hier wird beleuchtet, wie Armut selbst in Fachkreisen bagatellisiert oder relativiert, unter Rückgriff auf statistische Taschenspielertricks 'kleingerechnet' und durch Begriffsakrobatik ideologisch entsorgt wird." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Carr-Hill, Roy (2015): Non-household populations. Implications for measurements of poverty globally and in the UK. In: Journal of social policy, Jg. 44, H. 2, S. 255-275. DOI:10.1017/S0047279414000907

Abstract

"Data from household surveys have increasingly been used as a basis for social policy. They are generally inappropriate for obtaining information about the poorest, and therefore for policies concerned with tackling poverty and deprivation. They omit certain groups by design: the homeless; those in institutions; and mobile, nomadic or pastoralist populations. In addition, in practice, they typically under-represent those in fragile, disjointed or multiple occupancy households, those in urban slums and those in areas deemed as insecure. These sub-groups constitute a pretty comprehensive, ostensive definition of the 'poorest'. The sources of worldwide estimates of the missing populations are briefly described, with those for the UK discussed in greater detail, paying attention to their likely income and wealth. At least 250 million of the poorest of the poor are omitted worldwide; and in the UK about half a million of the poorest are missing from survey sample frames. In the UK, these 'missing' population sub-groups bias the analysis of income inequalities and affect the validity of formulae that have been developed for the geographical allocation of resources to health and social care." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Christoph, Bernhard (2015): Empirische Maße zur Erfassung von Armut und materiellen Lebensbedingungen. Ansätze und Konzepte im Überblick. (IAB-Discussion Paper 25/2015), Nürnberg, 51 S.

Abstract

"Bei der Messung von Armut im Rahmen empirischer Analysen müssen zahlreiche Entscheidungen getroffen werden, die abhängig vom Analyseziel mit unterschiedlichen Konsequenzen verbunden sein können. Ziel des vorliegenden Discussion Papers ist ein Überblick über die verfügbaren Methoden sowie eine detaillierte Diskussion ihrer jeweiligen Vor- und Nachteile.
Der Fokus der Arbeit wird dabei auf der Unterscheidung zwischen den einzelnen Analyseschritten im Rahmen der Armutsmessung liegen: der Lebensstandardmessung, der Armutsschwellendefinition und der Zusammenfassung zu aggregierten Maßzahlen. Für jeden dieser Schritte werden die wichtigsten Ansätze und Entscheidungsmöglichkeiten dargestellt. Darüber hinaus werden die potentiellen Vor- und Nachteile dieser Ansätze diskutiert. Es wird argumentiert, dass auf jeder Ebene eigene Qualitätskriterien gelten, so dass je nach Verwendungszweck auch die Nutzung unterschiedlicher Maße sinnvoll sein kann." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Dudel, Christian, Jan Marvin Garbuszus, Notburga Ott & Martin Werding (2015): Income dependent equivalence scales, inequality, and poverty. (CESifo working paper 5568), München, 26 S.

Abstract

"Most equivalence scales which are applied in research on poverty and inequality do not depend on income, although there is strong empirical evidence that equivalence scales in fact are income dependent. This paper explores the consistency of results derived from income independent and income dependent scales. It is shown that scales of both types inevitably lead to differing assessments of poverty and inequality under quite general conditions. German microdata will be used to demonstrate and illustrate our findings. Our results provide evidence that income independent scales should be replaced with income dependent equivalence scales." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Götte, Sebastian (2015): Wahrnehmung von Armut und Reichtum in Deutschland. Ergebnisse der repräsentativen Bevölkerungsbefragung "ARB-Survey 2015". Forschungsprojekt. (Lebenslagen in Deutschland. Armuts- und Reichtumsberichterstattung der Bundesregierung 05), Berlin, 88 S.

Abstract

"'Armut' und 'Reichtum' werden in der Regel mittels objektiver Indikatoren dargestellt und analysiert - auch in der Armuts- und Reichtumsberichterstattung der Bundesregierung. Weitgehend unbeantwortet blieb dabei aber lange die Frage, wie die Bürgerinnen und Bürger selbst Armuts- und Reichtumsphänomene wahrnehmen, welche Ursachen sie dafür sehen und inwieweit diese Einschätzungen mit ihrer eigenen Lebenslage in Zusammenhang steht. Deshalb steuert die Neuauflage der Studie 'Wahrnehmung von Armut und Reichtum in Deutschland' zum zweiten Mal Erkenntnisse zur subjektiven Sicht auf Armut und Reichtum in Deutschland auf Basis einer repräsentativen Befragung bei. Auch dieses Mal arbeitet die Studie Zusammenhänge zwischen subjektiven Einschätzungen und Erfahrungen einerseits und sozialstrukturellen Merkmalen andererseits heraus, um komplexere Verständnisse von 'Armut' und 'Reichtum', wie sie in der Bevölkerung vorherrschen, aufzeigen zu können." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)