scholarly journals Higher Economic Inequality Intensifies the Poor’s Financial Hardship by Fraying the Community Buffer

Author(s):  
Jon Jachimowicz ◽  
Barnabas Szaszi ◽  
Marcel Lukas ◽  
David Smerdon ◽  
Jaideep Prabhu ◽  
...  

The current research investigates whether higher economic inequality disproportionately intensifies the financial hardship of low-income individuals. We propose that higher economic inequality increases financial hardship for low-income individuals by reducing their ability to rely on their community as a buffer against financial difficulties. This may occur—in part—because a frayed community buffer reduces low-income individuals’ propensity to seek informal financial support from others. We provide empirical support across eight studies (N = 1,029,900) from the U.S., Australia, and rural Uganda, through correlational and experimental data, and an instrumental variable analysis. On average across our studies, a one SD increase in economic inequality is associated with an increase of financial hardship amongst low-income individuals of .10 SDs. We discuss the implications of these results for policy aimed to help the poor buffer against the adverse effects higher economic inequality imposes on them.

Author(s):  
MAX SCHAUB

How does poverty influence political participation? This question has interested political scientists since the early days of the discipline, but providing a definitive answer has proved difficult. This article focuses on one central aspect of poverty—the experience of acute financial hardship, lasting a few days at a time. Drawing on classic models of political engagement and novel theoretical insights, I argue that by inducing stress, social isolation, and feelings of alienation, acute financial hardship has immediate negative effects on political participation. Inference relies on a natural experiment afforded by the sequence of bank working days that causes short-term financial difficulties for the poor. Using data from three million individuals, personal interviews, and 1,100 elections in Germany, I demonstrate that acute financial hardship reduces both turnout intentions and actual turnout. The results imply that the financial status of the poor on election day can have important consequences for their political representation.


Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Flint ◽  
Hooman Kamel ◽  
Babak Navi ◽  
Vivek Rao ◽  
Bonnie Faigeles ◽  
...  

Objective: To determine whether statin use is associated with improved discharge disposition after ischemic stroke. Methods: We analyzed 12,689 patients with ischemic stroke over a 7 year period at 17 hospitals in Kaiser Permanente Northern California. We used multivariable generalized ordinal logistic regression and instrumental variable analysis of treatment patterns by hospital to control for the possibility of confounding. Results: Statin users before and during stroke hospitalization were more likely to be discharged home (54.9% for statin users, 46.3% for statin non-users) and less likely to die in hospital (5.3% for statin users, 10.3% for statin non-users). Patients who underwent statin withdrawal in-hospital were less likely to be discharged home (39.1% for statin withdrawal, 54.9% for statin continuation) and more likely to die in hospital (22.3% for statin withdrawal, 5.3% for statin continuation). Users of higher statin doses (>60 mg / day) were even more likely to be discharged home (62.5% for high dose statin, 56.5% for usual dose statin, and 47.4% for no statin) and less likely to die in hospital in-hospital (3.5% for high dose statin, 5.6% for usual dose statin, and 10.6% for no statin). These results were confirmed by multivariable analysis. The association of statin use and improved outcomes was also confirmed by instrumental variable analysis of treatment patterns by hospital, and thus this association cannot be explained by confounding at the individual patient level. Conclusions: Statin use is associated with improved discharge disposition after ischemic stroke, particularly at higher doses.


2020 ◽  
pp. bjsports-2020-102155
Author(s):  
Pascal Edouard ◽  
Kathrin Steffen ◽  
Laurent Navarro ◽  
Mohammad Ali Mansournia ◽  
Rasmus Oestergaard Nielsen

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