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PAUVRETE - POVERTY

. Poverty persistence among Belgian elderly in the transition from work to retirement : An empirical analysis, M. Maes, Département des Sciences économiques de l'Université catholique de Louvain, Ires, Louvain, Discussion paper, n° 2008-42, 31 p., (2008).

Résumé - Summary : On the basis of a longitudinal administrative dataset (1991-2002) merged with the Census of 2001 and the National Register, the majority of the poor elderly in Belgium appear to be persistently poor. The question arises why this might be so. To the extent that individual characteristics such as low abilities persist over time, they may also be the reason that individuals persist in poverty over time. In that case, one expects that once individual characteristics are controlled for, duration dependence in poverty becomes spurious. The alternative possibility is that poverty experience has a causal impact on future poverty. This may be because of a poverty trap: people may be given an incentive not to work while at the same time they slip into poverty. Or this may be due to depreciation of human capital or loss of motivation. The reasons for dependence in poverty are of interest for developing effective poverty reducing measures since true dependence would suggest to focus on stigma and adverse work incentives while spurious dependence would suggest to change individual’s characteristics. The simultaneous estimation of a multiple-spell discrete-time hazard model of transitions in and out of poverty, that allows for unobserved effects and a significant initial condition problem, lends strong empirical support for true duration dependence in poverty. This suggestion sounds reasonable since in Belgium elderly unemployed are exempted from the search for a job and thus easily exposed to depreciation of human capital and employers are reluctant to invest in the human capital of older workers. In addition in Belgium both employers and the government design retirement pathways that give elderly strong incentives to leave the labour market as soon as possible.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Belgique / Belgium

. Very poor, for a long time, in many ways ... Defining "the poorest" for policymakers, K. Moore and alii, Chronic Poverty Centre, Manchester, Working paper, n° 124, December, 25 p., (2008).

Résumé - Summary : This paper introduces the ways in which the poorest are defined, conceptualised and counted, and attempts to identify the characteristics that make such poverty intractable in the face of policy. We apply the concepts of absolute and relative poverty, as well as those of poverty depth, breadth and duration, to explore where to draw a line between the ‘merely poor’ and the poorest. We suggest that the poorest tend to be those who face, or have faced, multiple challenges in different spheres of life, and outline the causes of poverty that is absolutely or relatively severe, multidimensional and/or persistent. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of why development policy should be concerned with the poorest at all.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : none

EMPLOI - EMPLOYMENT

. Nice work if you can get it : Achieving a sustainable solution to low pay and in-work poverty, K. Lawton, Institute for Public Policy Research, London, January, 71 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Royaume-Uni / United Kingdom

. Active labor market policy effects in a dynamic setting, B. Crépon et alii, Crest, Paris, Document de travail, 2008-25, September, 13 p., (2008).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : France

. Contingent convergence : A comparative analysis of activation policies, W. Eichhorst et R. Konle-Seidl, Institute for Study of Labor, Bonn, IZA discussion paper, n° 3905, December, 31 p., (2008).

Résumé - Summary : The trend towards activation has been one of the major issues in recent welfare and labour market reforms in Europe and the US. Despite considerable initial variation across national models with respect to the scope and intensity of activation, redefining the link between social protection and labour market policies on the one hand and employment on the other has been a common issue in labour market reforms. The paper shows the development of activation policies in terms of basic principles, instruments, target groups and governance in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the US, Sweden and Denmark. It assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of activation policies in terms of bringing the jobless into work and ensuring sustainable independence from social benefits. Based on national activation trajectories, the paper argues that we can observe a contingent convergence of instruments, target groups, governance modes and outcomes so that established typologies of activation strategies have to be questioned.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe

. The Czech labour market : Room for further improvement, N. Kay, Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, Brussels, Ecfin country focus, n° 13, December, 7 p., (2008).

Résumé - Summary : Unemployment has fallen considerably during the recent period of record growth in the Czech economy. This has ended a long period of relatively jobless growth during which GDP was driven by advances in productivity and capital deepening rather than rises in employment. This country focus analyses the cyclical and structural factors underlying Czech labour market performance to assess whether unemployment is set to continue falling or whether structural challenges still remain that are likely to hinder long-term employment growth. The Beveridge curve is used as a construct to examine the performance of the labour market.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : République tchèque / Czech Republic

. Indemnisation du chômage : débats sur les réformes, Ires, Noisy-le-Grand, Chronique internationale, n° 115, numéro spécial, novembre, 180 p., (2008).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : France, Allemagne, Belgique, Pays-Bas, Danemark, Suède, Royaume-Uni, Espagne, Italie, Pologne, Etats-Unis, Canada / France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Poland, United States, Canada.

. Is flexicurity a European policy ?, S. Sciarra, URGE, Moncalieri, Urge working paper, n° 4/2008, 13 p., (2008).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe

. Modélisation du RMI et trajectoires des allocataires. Une analyse empirique des liens RMI-marché du travail à partir de données individuelles, J. Bouchoux, Y. Houzel et J-L. Outin, Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne, Paris, CES working papers, n° 2008.90, 93 p., (2008).

Résumé : Le dispositif RMI combine une allocation différentielle, un accès aux droits sociaux et des mesures de suivi ou d'incitation. Depuis sa création en 1988, son fonctionnement réel permet de distinguer trois logiques d'intervention ; revenu de subsistance ; complément salarial et allocation de chômage. Cette pluralité s'accompagne d'une hétérogénéité des bénéficiaires et de leurs trajectoires. L'analyse propose une représentation qui permet de mieux situer le dispositif dans le système de protection sociale et dans la régulation du marché du travail auquel il participe. Elle utilise les données de l'enquête de la DREES réalisée en juin 2006 auprès d'un échantillon d'allocataires permettant de reconstituer leurs trajectoires sur une période de 18 mois et de caractériser le rapport qu'ils entretiennent vis à vis des institutions. Nous précisons en premier lieu les particularités des différents groupes dans l'espace des observations de l'enquête en proposant une modélisation (section 1). On examine les proximités et les différences qui caractérisent ces groupes (section 2). On observe ensuite les relations qu'ils entretiennent avec les institutions du marché du travail et de la protection sociale (section 3). On précise enfin leurs trajectoires longues (section 4).

Summary :  The RMI programme combines an allowance, associated rights, social accompaniments and activation measures. Since its creation in 1988, the operation of the programme has led to distinguish 3 modes of implementation ; minimum welfare, additional wages and unemployment benefit. The variety of its roles comes along with a great diversity of the beneficiaries and their paths. Our analysis builds a framework which permits to evaluate the programme, both in relation to the social protection system and the regulation with the labor market. We use data taken from the DREES inquiry in June 2006 thus retracing the beneficiaries' trajectories over an 18 months period and characterizing the links between them and various institutions. We first describe the different groups and suggest a framework (Chapter 1). Then, we consider the similarities and the differences between the groups (Chapter 2). Next, we analyze their relationships with the labor market and social protection institutions (Chapter 3). At last, we develop their long term trajectories (Chapter 4).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : France

. Temporary agency work and collective bargaining in the EU, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin, 48 p., (2008).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe

REVENU - INCOME

. The economic effects of increasing British Columbia's minimum wage, K. Godin and N. Vedhuis, Fraser Institute, Vancouver, January, 59 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Canada

. Changes in the distribution of income among single mother families : Murphy Brown meets inequality, C. Bollinger and J. P. Ziliak, UKCPR, Lexington, Discussion paper, n° 2008-08, December, 45 p., (2008).

Résumé - Summary : We document the demographic and economic forces underlying changes in income inequality among single mother families over the past three decades in the United States. Using decomposable measures of after-tax income-to-needs inequality, we examine within- and between-group inequality based on education attainment, age, past marital status, race, and employment status. We also conduct income factor decompositions to quantify the relative contributions of earnings, transfers, other income, and taxes to inequality. Our results from the March Current Population Survey show that income-to-needs inequality rose nearly 30 percent between 1979 and 2005. The demographic decompositions indicate that most of the change in inequality is occurring within groups, in part because of large, offsetting between-group changes in population shares and relative mean incomes. The most prominent economic factor underlying the rise in income inequality among single mother families is labor-market earnings, the latter of which was induced by rising variance of hourly wages.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Etats-Unis / United States

AUTRES DONNEES SOCIALES - OTHER SOCIAL ISSUES

. Comparaison européenne des aides aux familles, J. Fagnani, A. Math et C. Meilland, Cnaf, Paris, Dossier d'étude, n° 112, janvier, 90 p.,  Annexes, 166 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe

. Enfants des couples, enfants des familles monoparentales, O. Chardon et F. Daguet, Insee, Paris, Insee première, n° 1216, janvier, 4 p., (2008).

Résumé - Summary :  En 2005, 63 % des enfants de moins de 18 ans vivent avec un couple parental marié, mais ils sont de plus en plus nombreux à vivre avec un couple en union libre (18 %) ou en famille monoparentale (16 %). 37 % des enfants vivent avec au moins un parent diplômé du supérieur, 44 % avec au moins un parent cadre ou exerçant une profession intermédiaire. Les enfants les plus jeunes ont les parents les plus diplômés, mais n’ont pas plus souvent un père cadre ou exerçant une profession intermédiaire. Les jeunes enfants en famille monoparentale ont moins souvent des mères diplômées ou occupant un emploi que les jeunes enfants vivant avec un couple parental. Ces différences sont plus faibles pour les adolescents. Elles sont également moins marquées du côté des pères. Les enfants ont des conditions de logement plus favorables lorsque leurs parents vivent en couple. 11 % des enfants vivent dans un logement surpeuplé ; cette proportion atteint un quart en Île-de-France.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : France

. Quelles leçons tirer de la crise financière ?, S. Wibaut, Département des Sciences économiques de l'Université catholique de Louvain, Ires, Louvain, Regards économiques, n° 64, décembre, 13 p., (2008).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe, Etats-Unis / Europe, United States

. U.S. and European  banks :Two sides of the same story ?, J. Schildbach, American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, Washington,  Issue brief, n° 28, December, 4 p., (2008).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe, Etats-Unis / Europe, United States