CSMA Local Area Networking under Dynamic Altruism

In this paper, we consider medium access control of local area networks (LANs) under limited-information conditions as befits a distributed system. Rather than assuming "by rule" conformance to a protocol designed to regulate packet-flow rates (e.g., CSMA windowing), we begin with a non-cooperative game framework and build a dynamic altruism term into the net utility. The effects of altruism are analyzed at Nash equilibrium for both the ALOHA and CSMA frameworks in the quasistationary (fictitious play) regime. We consider either power or throughput based costs of networking, and the cases of identical or heterogeneous (independent) users/players. In a numerical study we consider diverse players, and we see that the effects of altruism for similar players can be beneficial in the presence of significant congestion, but excessive altruism may lead to underuse of the channel when demand is low

Food Insecurity and Disability: Do Economic Resources Matter?

This research examines the relationship between work disability and food insecurity, and tests whether the positive association between disability and food insecurity is accounted for by two mechanisms: economic resources and/or competing consumption needs. a sample (N=6,997) is chosen from the 1999 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) with over 1,200 households headed by people with disabilities. Findings support both mechanisms but depending on the levels of food insecurity and the types of family economic resources, their success at explaining the relationship of disability with food insecurity varies. In addition, we find that household assets are more effective than income in protecting people with disabilities against food insecurity. Implications for disability policy and food assistance programs are discussed

Does Household Food Insecurity Affect Parental Characteristics and Child Behavior?: Evidence From the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)

This study examines the link between household food insecurity and child behavior problems mediated through parental characteristics (parenting stress, parental warmth, psychological distress, and parent’s self-esteem) using two waves of data from the Child Development Supplement in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Analyses of fixedeffects models are conducted on a low-income sample of 416 children from 249 households. This study finds that the effects of food insecurity on child behavior problems are mediated by parenting stress. However, two robustness tests show different results from those of the fixed-effects models. This inconsistency suggests that the complicated relationship between household food insecurity and child behavior problems needs to be investigated further with different methodology and measures in the future

Parental Income, Assets, and Borrowing Constraints and Children\u27s Post-Secondary Education

This study is a test of two theoretical models linking parental economic resources to children’s post-secondary education, namely, short-term borrowing constraints and long-term family background. a series of structural equation models (SEM) are tested using data from a sample of young adults (N=650) in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). To further understand the role of parental resources in children’s education, analyses are conducted for both income and assets, with assets measured by liquid assets and net worth. Findings indicate that both income and assets have consistent long-term associations with children’s college entry. When measures of household wealth are incorporated in the analysis, the hypothesis of short-term borrowing constraints is also supported. Implications for research and policy are discussed

Modeling the dynamics of network technology adoption and the role of converters

New network technologies constantly seek to displace incumbents. Their success depends on technological superiority, the size of the incumbent\u27s installed base, users\u27 adoption behaviors, and various other factors. The goal of this paper is to develop an understanding of competition between network technologies, and identify the extent to which different factors, in particular converters (a.k.a. gateways), affect the outcome. Converters can help entrants overcome the influence of the incumbent\u27s installed base by enabling cross-technology inter-operability. However, they have development, deployment, and operations costs, and can introduce performance degradations and functionality limitations, so that if, when, why, and how they help is often unclear. To this end, the paper proposes and solves a model for adoption of competing network technologies by individual users. The model incorporates a simple utility function that captures key aspects of users\u27 adoption decisions. Its solution reveals a number of interesting and at times unexpected behaviors, including the possibility for converters to reduce overall market penetration of the technologies and to prevent convergence to a stable state; something that never arises in their absence. The findings were tested for robustness, e.g., different utility functions and adoption models, and found to remain valid across a broad range of scenarios

Heterogeneous Effects of Child Development Accounts on Savings for Children\u27s Education

In this study, we use data from SEED for Oklahoma Kids (N = 2,77), a statewide policy experiment testing Child Development Accounts (CDAs), to examine effects on individual savings for children’s postsecondary education. Built on the account structure of the Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan, the experiment automatically opened state-owned 529 accounts for children in the treatment group with a $1,000 initial deposit, and encouraged their caregivers to open and save in participant-owned 529 accounts. Using quantile regressions and statistical match, the study focuses on the effects of CDAs on the shape of the savings distribution among participants who hold a participant-owned account for their children. Results suggest that the intervention has heterogeneous effects, affecting individual saving performance of about 8$400 more in savings than their counterparts in the control group. Treatment participants who are motivated by the intervention to hold a participant-owned account have mean deposits of nearly $900. All those who are motivated by the intervention to save have mean deposits of$1,826. a high proportion of treatment group participants motivated by the CDA intervention to have participant-owned accounts have socioeconomically disadvantaged characteristics; the CDA intervention reduces inequality in savings for children’s education. While the CDA intervention affects some treatment participants’ individual savings, total assets accumulated in both state-owned and participant-owned accounts can play an important role in financing postsecondary education. When appropriately designed, CDAs can promote asset building among all children, and holding assets is a promising policy tool to improve college preparedness and help finance postsecondary education

Asset-Based Policy in South Korea

Asset building was first discussed at the 56th Korean National Meetings in November 2004. In November 2006, the conference “Toward a New Paradigm in Social Policy: The Potential of Child Development Accounts in Asset-Based Social Policy,” organized by the Korean Labor Institute and Chung Ang University, generated substantial discussion and reinforced interest in asset-based policy in Korea

Financially Vulnerable Families Reap Multiple Benefits From Child Development Accounts

Financially vulnerable families face numerous challenges that can adversely affect their children’s development. This brief reports on the effects of Child Development Accounts (CDAs), a financial capability intervention, in families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Head Start. The results show that CDAs positively shape several financial and nonfinancial outcomes for these families

Material hardship and 529 college savings plan participation: the mitigating effects of Child Development Accounts

Experience of material hardship can adversely affect a family’s ability to make long-term investments in children’s development. We examine whether material hardship is associated with one indicator of such investments: participation in a tax-advantaged college savings plan (529 plan). Data for this study come from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) experiment, an intervention that offers Child Development Accounts with financial incentives to encourage the accumulation of college savings for children from the time of their birth. Results show that material hardship is negatively associated with 529-plan participation, and this association varies by treatment status. At all levels of material hardship, treatment-group mothers are more likely to hold accounts than control-group mothers. These findings suggest that CDAs can be a useful policy tool to support families’ financial preparation for college