Understanding Connections Between Rural Communities and Family Well-Being

This study explores the role of "place" in shaping rural residents'—and in particular low-income residents'—futures. The analysis draws from interviews with residents and community key informants in Hampton,Iowa, who were participants in an original study in 1997. Recent interviews with community key informants focused on three broad trends: the increasing number of Hispanic families who live in Hampton year-round and the opportunities and challenges this creates for the community; the loss of many skilled jobs in manufacturing and the growth of low-wage jobs in the agricultural sector; and changes that have occurred in the public and community-based institutions that serve the needs of low-income families. The case study draws on city and county demographic and economic data, interviews with community key informants, and interviews with four families who have been part of the study since 1997.

Objective and subjective indicators of economic well-being: effects of demographic subgroups on relationships over time

This dissertation addressed the problem of a lack of integration in the study of objective and subjective social indicators within social accounting systems. The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between objective and subjective indicators of economic well-being within different age, racial and sexual groups and to examine the stability of these relationships over time;Data for the analysis were the 1972-1980 General Social Surveys, administered by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). Each survey includes approximately 1500 adult respondents. A total of 12,120 interviews are analyzed. Subjective economic well-being was operationalized by a measure of financial satisfaction. Objective economic well-being was measured by family income calculated in constant dollars. Analysis of covariance was used to assess differences in the objective-subjective relationship within demographic subgroups;Stratification theory was used to identify subgroups that have experienced constraints on access to economic resources and opportunities. An accommodation hypothesis was developed to explain differential subjective response to objective conditions within subgroups. It was hypothesized that the greater the extent to which subgroups must accommodate their economic situation, the weaker the relationship between objective and subjective economic well-being;Findings supported the hypothesis that the relationship would be weakest among the oldest age group compared to other age groups. No differences were found between sex and racial groups. Support was found for the hypothesis that predicted smaller coefficients among subgroups characterized as older, female and nonwhite. The relationships were found to remain stable within all demographic subgroups over time. Results reinforce the need for the parallel development and assessment of both objective and subjective indicators in social accounting systems

Tracking the Transition from Welfare to Work

One of the primary goals of the 1996 federal welfare reform legislation was to reduce dependency on cash transfers and to promote self-sufficiency through employment in the paid labor force. This paper draws upon a qualitative study of 18 Iowa welfare recipients and tracks changes that occur over a three-year, post-reform period. Thick descriptions highlight the internal family dynamics of the choices made over time. The purposes of the study are twofold:first, to document changes in family composition, employment, housing, and program participation, and second, to report how recipients experience such changes. Findings reveal that the 11 families who left the cash benefit program were usually still dependent on Food Stamps, Medicaid, and other need-based programs to supplement family income. Income sources within families were often one or two low-wage jobs, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) payments. In addition, chronic health problems plagued most families still receiving cash benefits, and those cycling on and off cash benefits experienced frequent changes in employment and/or family composition

Small Towns and Welfare Reform: Iowa Case Studies of Families and Communities

Since passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996, public discussion of welfare reform and most research efforts to assess the effects of new policies have focused on urban areas. Major studies and frequent newspaper headlines have portrayed the dimensions of welfare reform in Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, and other urban settings (e.g., Burton et al. 1998; Quint et al. 1999). Little attention is being paid to the consequences of the new policies for rural families and communities.This book chapter is published as 2002 Fletcher, C. N., Flora, J. L., Gaddis, B. J., Winter, M., and J. S. Litt. “Small Towns and Welfare Reform: Iowa Case Studies of Families and Communities.” In Bruce A. Weber, Greg J. Duncan and Leslie A. Whitener (eds.) Rural Dimensions of Welfare Reform: Welfare, Food Assistance and Poverty in Rural America (pp. 201-229). Kalamazoo, MI: Upjohn Press. 10.17848/9781417508884 </p

Do You Know What You Owe? Students\u27 Understanding of Their Student Loans

Using a data set that augments a student survey with administrative data from the Iowa State University Office of Financial Aid, the authors posed two questions: Do students know whether they have student loans? Do students know how much they owe on outstanding student loans? We used logistic and ordered logit regressions to answer these questions. Results suggest that although the majority of students are aware that they owe on student loans, many underestimate the amount they owe. One eighth of students in the current study reported no student debt when, in fact, they had a loan. Over a quarter of the students underestimated the amount they owed by less than $10,000, and nearly one tenth of students underestimated the amount that they owed by more than$10,000. This article discusses the roles that counselors, educators, and policy makers can play in improving students’ understanding of their student loan debt

Families in Transition: Four Case Studies

Most of us are aware that the structure of American families is changing. With these changing family forms come new problems related to household spending and family interaction that families may not have had to deal with in the past. AHEA's Economy and Family Financial Resources Issues Committee developed the following article to focus on some of these emerging problems. The article included four case studies of families, representing four different family structures, and analyses of these case studies by three of the authors. Cynthia Needles analyzes each family in terms of its consumption of goods and services; Sarah Manning views each family from a money management perspective; and Sandra Helmick discusses the personal relations hips within each family. Together, the analyses identify issues that families need to consider when planning their households and spending their money.This article is published as Craig, K.E., Needles, C.L., Maning, S.L., Helmick, S., Families in Transition: Four Case Studies. Journal of Home Economics. 1978, 70(5); 47-54. Posted with permission. </p

Managing income and expenses - Divorce Matters

Divorce creates many kinds of stress for all those involved. Potential exists for serious financial stress. Even when resources are adequate, and especially when they are limited, careful planning can enable individuals to make the best of their financial situation and avoid costly errors as they more forward after divorce.</p