Trend in net disposable income of low -income single mother families from 1993 to 2002 in the U.S.: Before and after 1996 welfare reform

The purpose of this study is to examine economic well-being of low-income single mother families before and after The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. In this dissertation, the concept of “net family disposable income” after deduction for taxes and child care costs is operationalized as the indicator of economic well-being. This dissertation is the first to take account of childcare costs to see the changes of low-income single mothers’ net income. The analysis is a cross sectional study limited to three cohorts. The first cohort is a pre-reform cohort surveyed in 1993 and 1994; the second cohort was surveyed in 1997, directly after welfare reform; the third cohort was surveyed in 2002, a period of economic recession. The sample is defined as single mothers aged 16 to 54. A family is defined as “low-income” if family income falls below 200 percent of the official poverty level. Core and Topical modules from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) panel data conducted by the Census Bureau are used. Results showed that net family disposable income of single mothers in the bottom 20th percentile of family income decreased severely between 1993 and 2002, although they were found to be working more and their earnings increased after the welfare reform. Their earnings were still modest and offset by a decline in public benefits and an increase in childcare costs. The regression results showed that the interaction term indicating the period after welfare reform and poor single mothers has a statistically significant association with net family disposable income. The coefficient of the interaction term implies that low-income single mothers’ net disposable income decreased by 19 percent after the welfare reform. Education level and work experience also had a significant effect on net family disposable income

Evaluation of the performance of national health systems in 2004-2011: An analysis of 173 countries.

In an effort to improve health service delivery and achieve better health outcomes, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for improved efficiency of health care systems to better use the available funding. This study aims to examine the efficiency of national health systems using longitudinal country-level data. Data on health spending per capita, infant mortality rate (IMR), under 5 mortality rate (U5MR), and life expectancy (LE) were collected from or imputed for 173 countries from 2004 through 2011. Data envelopment analyses were used to evaluate the efficiency and regression models were constructed to examine the determinants of efficiency. The average efficiency of the national health system, when examined yearly, was 78.9%, indicating a potential saving of 21.1% of health spending per capita to achieve the same level of health status for children and the entire population, if all countries performed as well as their peers. Additionally, the efficiency of the national health system varied widely among countries. On average, Africa had the lowest efficiency of 67%, while West Pacific countries had the highest efficiency of 86%. National economic status, HIV/AIDS prevalence, health financing mechanisms and governance were found to be statistically associated with the efficiency of national health systems. Taking health financing as an example, a 1% point increase of social security expenses as a percentage of total health expenditure correlated to a 1.9% increase in national health system efficiency. The study underscores the need to enhance efficiency of national health systems to meet population health needs, and highlights the importance of health financing and governance in improving the efficiency of health systems, to ultimately improve health outcomes

Training and Preparation for Caregiving of Older Foster Youth: Perspectives of Foster Parents

How to best prepare older youth in foster care for independence remains a child welfare challenge. This article presents findings from a study assessing foster parent perspectives of caregiving and training to care for older youth. Findings suggest gaps in foster parent\u27s knowledge and readiness to prepare young adults for independence. However, their connectedness to foster youth post-placement suggests that foster parents may be an overlooked resource for supporting the transition of older youth

Health expenditure per capita and under 5 mortality rate and life expectancy in 2011.

<p>Health expenditure per capita and under 5 mortality rate and life expectancy in 2011.</p

Efficiency of health systems in 2011 by WHO regions.

<p>Efficiency of health systems in 2011 by WHO regions.</p

Inputs and outputs of health system.

<p>Inputs and outputs of health system.</p

Efficiency of health system in 2004–2011.

<p>Efficiency of health system in 2004–2011.</p

Determinants of the performance of national health systems.

<p>Determinants of the performance of national health systems.</p

Health expenditure per capita and infant mortality rate in 2011.

<p>Health expenditure per capita and infant mortality rate in 2011.</p