Public Policy Commons^™

How Do Changing Financial Circumstances Relate To Financial Well-Being? Evidence From A National Survey, Sam Bufe, Sicong Sun, Stephen P. Roll, Olga Kondratjeva, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

This brief is the third and final brief in a series exploring the financial well-being of low- and moderate-income (LMI) households in the United States. The first brief in this series explored how financial well-being differed between LMI households and the general population.¹ The second in the series examined how financial well-being changed over time in a sample of LMI respondents.² This brief uses longitudinal survey data paired with administrative tax data to assess how different household experiences—including the use of alternative financial services, the experience of material and medical hardship, and improvements in physical and financial health—correspond …

Assessing The Short-Term Stability Of Financial Well-Being In Low- To Moderate-Income Households, Sicong Sun, Stephen P. Roll, Olga Kondratjeva, Sam Bufe, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

A growing body of research demonstrates that U.S. households experience a high degree of volatility in their finances. This volatility can take the form of large swings in month-to-month income, spells of unemployment, and incurring unexpected expenses.1 Beyond being difficult to predict, these income and expense shocks are costly as well, with one survey finding that the most expensive shock experienced by the median U.S. household cost roughly half of one month’s income.2This financial volatility disproportionately affects low- to moderate-income (LMI) households;3 a population that often lacks the resources to manage this volatility. For example, research from the Survey of …

How Do Changing Financial Circumstances Relate To Financial Well-Being? Evidence From A National Survey, Sam Bufe, Stephen P. Roll, Olga Kondratjeva, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

This brief is the third and final brief in a series exploring the financial well-being of low- and moderate-income (LMI) households in the United States. The first brief in this series explored how financial well-being differed between LMI households and the general population. The second in the series examined how financial well-being changed over time in a sample of LMI respondents. This brief uses longitudinal survey data paired with administrative tax data to assess how different household experiences—including the use of alternative financial services, the experience of material and medical hardship, and improvements in physical and financial health—correspond to the …

Why Is The Black Population Of Central Brooklyn, The Mecca Of Black Nyc, Diminishing?, Jamell N.A. Henderson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This research looks at three possible reasons that might help to explain this unfortunate exodus. The first approach is through health and examines trends in environmental, mental and physical (general) health. I will explore statistics involving the health and well-being of Central Brooklyn, how the environment plays a disparate role in the poor health and lack of access to services of its African-American residents in comparison to other regions in Brooklyn. The second task is to ask how economics or “racial capitalism” plays a role by looking at gentrification, cooperative economics, and the income inequality in Black Central Brooklyn. The …

Making Dependent Care Fsaa Work For Low- To Moderate-Income Families 5 Action Steps For Employers, Sophia Fox-Dichter, Ellen Frank-Miller, Sloane Wolter

Social Policy Institute Research

Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (DCFSAs) can help workers save money on child care expenses by using pre-tax dollars, but few employees actually use the accounts, particularly low- to moderate-income (LMI) employees, because:

• DCFSAs are difficult to understand; figuring out if they are possible to use and worth the trouble is a complex task for families.

• Families face a “double-hit” if they use the accounts – they have to set aside pre-tax dollars for child care expenses and then pay out-of-pocket before getting reimbursed.

• Using a DCFSA may require certainty about a year’s worth of child care …

Dependent Care Fsas: Policy Proposals To Level The Playing Field For Low- To Moderate-Income Parents, Ellen Frank-Miller, Sophia Fox-Dichter, Sloane Wolter

Social Policy Institute Research

This research was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We thank them for their support but acknowl-edge that the findings and conclusions presented in this report are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Foundation.The authors are grateful to Don Baylor at the Annie E. Casey Foundation for his guidance and support throughout the project. We are also grateful to Elaine Maag at the Urban Institute for offering her expertise related to interactions between the Earned Income Tax Credit and dependent care flexible spending ac-counts. Finally, we extend our sincere thanks to …

Slogans Appropriate To The Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr., Theodore Walker

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

For printing signs, banners, posters, tee shirts, and bumper stickers (and for preaching sermons) that are appropriate to the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., please consider the following slogans: ABOLISH WAR, ABOLISH POVERTY, AMEND THE CONSTITUTION, SUPPORT AN ECONOMIC BILL OF RIGHTS, JOBS FOR ALL, GUARANTEED INCOME FOR ALL, SUPPORT UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME, and GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR - Luke 4:14-19.

New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone Program Assessment 2019, Thomas Edison State University, Pel Analytics, Anderson Economic Group, The John S. Watson Institute For Public Policy

Urban Mayors Policy Center

In 2019, the State of New Jersey sought an evaluation of its Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) Program to determine the program’s economic impact and make recommendations for the program’s future. The John S. Watson Institute of Public Policy of Thomas Edison State University joined with PEL Analytics and Anderson Economic Group to produce the following study. The main recommendation of this analysis is to retain the UEZ Program while instituting various changes to make it stronger. Recommended changes in brief include reinstating some form of Zone Assistance Funds (ZAFs), creating a better system to collect data and track outcomes, assisting …

Market-Base Solutions To Manage The Guarani Aquifer: Pigouvian Fee And Cap-And-Trade, Julia Hayes Vieira

Master's Theses and Capstones

The objective of this case-study is to analyze the effects and the perception of different groups in possibly implementing market-based approaches of Pigouvian tax and Cap-and-Trade to manage the Guarani Aquifer, Brazil. The Pigouvian Tax is a corrective taxation that assigns a price for the negative impacts water consumption creates to aquifers, as a way to influence a more sustainable level of water consumption. Cap-and-Trade sets a maximum quantity of water allowed to be used from aquifers, and allow economic agents to trade quantities of water they have the right to use, as a way to adapt to the cap. …

Dependent Care Fsas: The Uneven Playing Field For Employers And Workers, Ellen Frank-Miller, Sophia Fox-Dichter, Sloane Wolter

Social Policy Institute Research

This research was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We thank them for their support but acknowl-edge that the findings and conclusions presented in this report are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Foundation.The authors are grateful to Don Baylor at the Annie E. Casey Foundation for his guidance and support throughout the project. We extend our thanks to Elaine Maag at the Urban Institute for offering her expertise related to interactions between the Earned Income Tax Credit and dependent care flexible spending ac-counts.In this two-part series, we provide a field …

Financial Counseling For Low- And Moderate-Income Home Health Care Employees: An Assessment Of Take-Up, Engagement, And Outcomes, Ellen G. Frank-Miller Phd, Sophia R. Fox-Dichter Msw, Sloane Wolter Ab, Jenna Hampton Bsw

Social Policy Institute Research

Employee financial wellness programs (EFWPs) are gaining in popularity as a strategy to address workers' financial challenges and goals beyond offering health and retirement benefits. Most workers say they are stressed about their finances¹ and a third are less productive at work because of this stress.² Although employers are increasingly interested in offering EFWPs, little research has been conducted concerning these workplace financial products and services.

Workplace Credit-Building Counseling At A Midwest Employer: An Assessment Of Take-Up, Engagement, And Outcomes, Ellen G. Frank-Miller Phd, Sophia Fox-Dichter Msw, Sloane Wolter Ab, Jenna Hampton Bsw, Yingying Zeng Msw, Msp

Social Policy Institute Research

Employee financial wellness programs (EFWPs) are gaining in popularity as a strategy to address workers' financial challenges and goals beyond offering health and retirement benefits. Most workers say they are stressed about their finances¹ and a third are less productive at work because of this stress.² Although employers are increasingly interested in offering EFWPs, little research has been conducted concerning these workplace financial products and services.

Credit-Building Services For Employees: An Assessment Of Engagement And Outcomes, Yingying Zeng Msw, Msp, Mathieu Despard Phd, Msw

Social Policy Institute Research

Employee financial wellness programs (EFWPs) are gaining in popularity as a strategy to address workers' financial challenges and goals beyond offering health and retirement benefits. Most workers say they are stressed about their finances¹ and a third are less productive at work because of this stress.² Although employers are increasingly interested in offering EFWPs, little research has been conducted concerning these workplace financial products and services.

Can Uber And Lyft Save Public Transit?, Emily Zheng

Pomona Senior Theses

I examine whether Uber and Lyft are currently complements or substitutes of public transit, and how partnerships between cities and ride sharing companies can increase their complementary relationship and solve parking and mobility issues. The results suggest that transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft do not have a statistically significant effect on public transit ridership overall, but are complements of public transit for certain populations. Policies that give discounts for TNC rides taken to and from transit stops help solve the first mile / last mile problem, which consequently help increase transit ridership.

Summary, Initial Observations, And Getting To A Tentative Theory Of Public Investment Behavior, Arwiphawee Srithongrung, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

This chapter evaluates the 12 countries' capital management practices according to the systematic public capital management and budgeting process described in Chapter 1. The chapter characterizes and classifies the management practices of the twelve countries based on the authors' evaluation using the case study descriptions. The authors offer some initial observations based on comparisons across the case study countries and analysis of relationships between capital management and budgeting practices and political, economic, and public sector variables. The chapter proposes a tentative theory of public investment behavior and offers five propositions regarding the factors driving different practices across the case study …

Tribal Governance In American Indian Country, Terry E. Mcdonald

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Public Administrators seek to synthesize, comprehend, and clarify challenging problems of social progress as it relates to the administration of public services. We must, therefore, think about all forms of governance to have a comprehensive understanding of the discipline. If civilization ignored the prehistory of the past 600 million years, from the Late Precambrian Era through the Mesozoic, there would be a consequential loss of knowledge. A comprehensive understanding would be absent regarding one of the fundamentals in our evolution – life's ability to avoid demise by symbiosis and adaptation. In the same way, we may have overlooked an essential …

Dependent Care Fsas Work For Low- To Moderate-Income Families: 5 Action Steps For Policymakers, Sophia Fox-Dichter, Ellen Frank-Miller, Sloane Wolter

Social Policy Institute Research

Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (DCFSAs) can help workers save money on child care expenses by using pre-tax dollars, but few employees actually use the accounts, particularly low- to moderate-income (LMI) employees, because:

• DCFSAs are difficult to understand; figuring out if they are possible to use and worth the trouble is a complex task for families.

• Families face a “double-hit” if they use the accounts – they have to set aside pre-tax dollars for child care expenses and then pay out-of-pocket before getting reimbursed.

• Using a DCFSA may require certainty about a year’s worth of child care …

Employer-Sponsored Small-Dollar Loans: An Assessment Of Take-Up, Engagement, And Outcomes, Ellen G. Frank-Miller Phd, Sophia Fox-Dichter Msw, Sloane Wolter Ab, Jenna Hampton Bsw, Mathieu Despard Phd, Msw, Geraldine Germain Msw

Social Policy Institute Research

Employees financial wellness program (EFWPs) are gaining in popularity as a strategy to address workers' financial challenges and goals beyond offering health and retirement benefits. Most workers say they are stressed about their finances¹ and a third are less productive at work because of this stress.² Although employers are increasingly interested in offering EFWPs, little research has been conducted concerning these workplace financial products and services.

Financial Counseling For Low- And Moderate-Income Employees: An Assessment Of Engagement And Outcomes, Mathieu Despard Phd, Msw, Yingying Zeng Msw, Msp, Sophia Fox-Dichter Msw

Social Policy Institute Research

Employee financial wellness programs (EFWPs) are gaining in popularity as a strategy to address workers' financial challenges and goals beyond offering health and retirement benefits. Most workers say they are stressed about their finances¹ and a third are less productive at work because of this stress.² Although employers are increasingly interested in offering EFWPs, little research has been conducted concerning these workplace financial products and services.

The Legalization Of Street Vending In Los Angeles: Exploring The Impact On Vendors And Their Livelihoods, Karen Alpuche Caceres

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis aims to unpack the impact the legalization of street vending and the subsequent regulation had on sidewalk vendors. Although legalization occurred state-wide through Senate Bill 946 in September of 2017, the rules and regulations for vending were passed at a city-level, and I am focusing on the City of Los Angeles specifically. Through interviews with government officials, non-profit partners and advocates, and vendors from different parts of the City, I analyze information around the policy itself, its history, and the impact it has and is expected to have on vendors and their businesses. While vendors have been central …

The Economic Value Of A Place-Based Resource For Regional Development, Aisling Conway Lenihan, Helen Mcguirk

Dept. of Management & Enterprise Publications

Regional economic development has long been acknowledged as an important objective of government policy. Natural resources are also recognised as drivers of economic development. However, the importance of place-based resources such as peripheral coastlines and Harbour areas are less understood. This research provides insights into an industry based on its region’s natural resource and the value it generates for sustainable economic development. Using the world’s second largest natural Harbour region, the current research measures the economic activities associated with the Marine Leisure Industry in Cork Harbour, and estimates the economic impact on the local economy. The research establishes a multiplier …

Financial Well-Being In Low- And Moderate-Income Households: How Does It Compare To The General Population?, Sicong Sun, Olga Kondratjeva, Stephen P. Roll, Mathieu Despard, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

Research Brief (18-03)

Research has increasingly shed light on the precariousness of many households’ financial situations. For example, a large national survey showed that 41 percent of adults lack sufficient liquidity to cover even a modest $400 emergency without taking on debt or selling an asset; a problem that is exacerbated for lower-income households. Compounding this issue is the fact that financial shocks, such as the loss of income or a major car repair, are common; 60 percent of U.S. households reported a shock in the prior year at a median cost of $2,000.

We would expect that these indicators …

Financial Well-Being In Low- And Moderate-Income Households: How Does It Compare To The General Population?, Sicong Sun, Olga Kondratjeva, Stephen P. Roll, Mathieu Despard, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

Research has increasingly shed light on the precariousness of many households’ financial situations. For example, a large national survey showed that 41 percent of adults lack sufficient liquidity to cover even a modest $400 emergency without taking on debt or selling an asset;¹ a problem that is exacerbated for lower-income households.² Compounding this issue is the fact that financial shocks, such as the loss of income or a major car repair, are common; 60 percent of U.S. households reported a shock in the prior year at a median cost of $2,000^.3

The Intentional City: Shaping London’S Urban Future, Zack Taylor

Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance – Publications

Summary of remarks made at a public roundtable celebrating the launch of the Centre of Urban Policy and Local Governance held at Western University on November 23, 2018. Participants included Pierre Filion, Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo and an expert in mid-sized cities; Arielle Kayabaga, Councillor-Elect for City of London’s downtown Ward 13; Michelle Baldwin, Executive Director of London’s Pillar Nonprofit Network and Co-Founder of Innovation Works; John Fleming, Managing Director of Planning and City Planner for the City of London; and Neil Bradford, Professor and Chair of the …

Pretrial Release And Failure-To-Appear In Mclean County, Il, Jonathan Monsma

Student Research – Stevenson Center

Actuarial risk assessment tools increasingly have been employed in jurisdictions across the U.S. to assist courts in the decision of whether someone charged with a crime should be detained or released prior to their trial. These tools should be continually monitored and researched by independent 3^rd parties to ensure that these powerful tools are being administered properly and used in the most proficient way as to provide socially optimal results. McLean County, Illinois began using the Public Safety Assessment-Court^TM (PSA-Court or simply PSA) risk assessment tool beginning in 2016. This study culls data from the McLean County Jail …

Rethinking The Fiscal Relationship Between Public Lands And Public Land Counties: County Payments 4.0, Mark Haggerty

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

In 1908, Congress authorized payments to local governments, including counties and school districts, to compensate for the non-taxable status of the newly established forest reserves within their boundaries. The original program shared revenue generated from commercial activities on public lands, e.g. timber harvesting, not anticipating the major changes in the volume and types of activities on National Forest lands, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, that have played out over the past century. Two subsequent reforms – the appropriated Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) in 1976 and ‘transition’ payments made between 1990 and 2018, including payments associated with the Northwest …

Protecting San Francisco Residents From The Wolves Of Wall Street: A Case Study, Jessica Lindquist

Master's Projects and Capstones

This research conducts the first deep data analysis of the public complaints filed to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Consumer Complaint database by San Francisco residents. The case study highlights how consumer financial harms are a citywide problem: San Franciscans living at every income level and in every part of the city are struggling to resolve their financial issues with the wolves of Wall Street, the financial services industry. The recommendations center on what the city, particularly the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment, can do at a local level now that the Trump administration is focused on deregulating the …

The Effects Of Food Security On Socioeconomic Mobility In The United States: A Case Study In Allendale County, South Carolina, Taylor St Clarke

Senior Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between food security – defined as accessibility to an affordable, nutritious, and sustainable source of food – and socioeconomic mobility in the continental United States. This thesis is primarily focused on the effects of food insecurity on both individuals and communities, examining the chronic long-term effects of such insecurity on areas known as “food deserts,” which are often given status as areas of persistent poverty. This research further examines the effects of a sustained poor diet, brought about by food insecurity, on the individual and overarching community in a food desert and how such a …

California Redevelopment 2.0: Implementation Of Community Revitalization And Investment Authorities, Christopher Hoem

Master's Projects

This research aims at revealing the challenges and opportunities in implementing Community Revitalization and Investment Authorities (CRIAs) in California.

This study will focus on the implementation of CRIAs, but it is worth examining alternative economic development tools to draw comprehensive comparisons and understand their advantages and disadvantages.

Understanding economic development tools may be valuable for the commercial and industrial growth and prosperity of cities and local governments. It may also be important to increase the number of affordable housing units in an area. Businesses and low-income families alike share the benefits of successful redevelopment. It may be possible to reveal …

Cost Burden Of Social Isolation For Wheelchair Users In Louisville, Kentucky., Connie Light

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Social isolation is an important predictor for poor health status, chronic diseases, and healthcare utilization and costs. There is a growing number of Americans with one or more disabilities, and evidence suggests that many are also socially isolated. This is especially true for those with immobility, as the built environment including housing structures are not universally designed to be accommodating. Immobility describes those who use walkers, canes, or wheelchairs, with the latter suffering the most impact. The cost of social exclusion can be measured by the exacerbation of disease in wheelchair users, whose fragile health status and social networks …