Rational Poverty or Poor Rationality? The Take-up of Social Assistance Benefits

Arbeitspapier

In several countries social assistance dependence has been increasing since the 1980s. After surveying the theoretical and empirical take-up literature, this study presents estimates of recent rates of non take-up of social assistance benefits. Once methodological shortcomings of prior estimations are corrected, the results show that take-up has fallen recently and thus cannot explain the rising welfare receipt. Following theoretical predictions, the probability that a rational individual takes up social assistance increases with the expected benefit amount and duration, and falls with application cost and stigma. More than half of all households eligible for transfers under the German social assistance program did not claim their benefits.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 124

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs ; Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions ; Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
• Thema: Take-up ; transfer program ; social assistance ; welfare ; Sozialhilfeempfaenger ; Rationales Verhalten ; Armut ; Schätzung ; Deutschland

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Riphahn, Regina T.
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (wo): Bonn
• (wann): 2000

Weitere Informationen

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/20964
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:43 MEZ