Crisscrossing Boundaries: Variation in Experiences with Class Marginality Among Lower-Income, Black Undergraduates at an Elite College

The concluding chapter provides a thematic overview in order to bring out from the range of findings presented in the book the main messages and their implications. In doing so, it highlights that the wide variation across OECD countries in how the circumstances of middle and lower income households have evolved—documented and analysed throughout the book in various dimensions—has critical implications for the quest for inclusive growth. While there are some important commonalities across rich countries, it may not be helpful to frame their experiences mostly in terms of the types of encompassing ‘grand narratives’ that are now in vogue, and seek on that basis to produce a common set of policy prescriptions where ‘one size fits all’.

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Perceived Barriers to COVID-19 Testing

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052278 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2278

Author(s):

Pearl A. McElfish ◽

Rachel Purvis ◽

Laura P. James ◽

Don E. Willis ◽

Jennifer A. Andersen

Keyword(s):

Analytical Approach ◽

Nasal Swab ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Research Participant ◽

Perceived Barriers ◽

Lower Income ◽

The Us ◽

Qualitative Descriptive ◽

Descriptive Method ◽

Background Prior

(1) Background: Prior studies have documented that access to testing has not been equitable across all communities in the US, with less testing availability and lower testing rates documented in rural counties and lower income communities. However, there is limited understanding of the perceived barriers to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing. The purpose of this study was to document the perceived barriers to COVID-19 testing. (2) Methods: Arkansas residents were recruited using a volunteer research participant registry. Participants were asked an open-ended question regarding their perceived barriers to testing. A qualitative descriptive analytical approach was used. (3) Results: Overall, 1221 people responded to the open-ended question. The primary barriers to testing described by participants were confusion and uncertainty regarding testing guidelines and where to go for testing, lack of accessible testing locations, perceptions that the nasal swab method was too painful, and long wait times for testing results. (4) Conclusions: This study documents participant reported barriers to COVID-19 testing. Through the use of a qualitative descriptive method, participants were able to discuss their concerns in their own words. This work provides important insights that can help public health leaders and healthcare providers with understanding and mitigating barriers to COVID-19 testing.

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Financial Resources and Biomarkers of Aging in the National Health and Aging Trends Study

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1974 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 589-589

Author(s):

Laura Samuel ◽

Laken Roberts ◽

Danielle Boyce ◽

Melissa Hladek ◽

Sarah LaFave ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hemoglobin A1c ◽

Income Group ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Financial Strain ◽

Diabetes Diagnosis ◽

Lower Income ◽

Sampling Weights ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lower Income Group ◽

Biomarkers Of Aging

Abstract Lower income and financial strain (i.e. difficulty making ends meet) are associated with worse aging biomarkers, but evidence among nationally representative samples is limited. This cross-sectional study tested whether income to poverty ratio (analyzed separately for those <500% vs. ≥500% poverty threshold) and financial strain are associated with biomarkers of aging among NHATS participants aged ≥65 years (n=4,648), adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, gender, smoking, BMI, and diabetes diagnosis for hemoglobin A1c. Sampling weights were applied. Among those with incomes <500% poverty, higher income was associated with lower hemoglobin A1c (b= -0.0196, p=0.007), CMV (b= -0.0689, p<0.001) and CRP (b= -0.0428, p=0.012). Among those with incomes ≥500%, higher income was associated with lower IL-6 (b= -0.0001, p=0.023) and lower CMV (b= -0.0001, p<0.001). Financial strain was not associated with biomarkers. Income is more strongly associated with biomarkers among the lower income group, calling for special attention to this vulnerable population.

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Financial Reforms and Consumption Smoothing

The B E Journal of Macroeconomics ◽

10.1515/bejm-2020-0148 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Martin Boileau ◽

Tianxiao Zheng

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South Korea ◽

Consumer Credit ◽

Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium ◽

Consumption Smoothing ◽

Empirical Literature ◽

Lower Income ◽

Financial Reforms ◽

Collateral Constraint ◽

Dynamic Stochastic

Abstract We study how financial reforms affect the extent of consumption smoothing in a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model of an emerging economy. Consistent with the empirical literature and reform efforts in South Korea and South Africa, we emphasize the relation between consumer credit and durable purchases, and model reforms as the relaxation of the collateral constraint on lower income households. We find that the relaxation of the collateral constraint accounts for a substantial share of the decline in consumption smoothing experienced in South Korea and South Africa.

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