This February 26th webinar focused on a recent study exploring how housing assistance may influence people’s decision to apply for and receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The research was presented by Erik Hembre, who conducted the study with Carly Urban at the Center for Financial Security Retirement and Disability Research Center, supported by the Social Security Administration. Discussants, Kathleen Moore, a researcher and contractor with the Administration for Children & Families, and Arthur Jacobs, Housing Coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities in New York, provided commentary on the implications of the study.
Events
IRP Extramural Small Grant Program On Poverty, Retirement, And Disability Research: 2020–2021 Call For Applications
Application Deadline: January 26, 2020, 11:59 p.m. CST
The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) in collaboration with the Center for Financial Security (CFS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have funding to support the study of economically vulnerable populations related to poverty, retirement, and disability policy. Funded by a cooperative agreement between CFS and the Social Security Administration, this small grants program is designed to expand the reach of poverty research into issues related to retirement and disability policies and programs. Applicants can propose research projects that address any area of relevance to retirement and disability research. For more information and to apply, visit the IRP Small Grant page.
Call for Applications: Junior Scholar Intensive Training (JSIT) Retirement and Disability Research Summer Workshop
June 15 – 19, 2020, Pyle Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison
JSIT 2020 call for applications due February 14, 2020, 11:59 pm PST
About the Workshop: Howard University’s Center on Race and Wealth (CRW) and the Center for Financial Security (CFS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison seek applications for the Junior Scholar Intensive Training (JSIT) Summer Workshop. This week-long workshop, held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will bring together PhD students, newly graduated PhD researchers, and junior faculty who are interested in topics related to disability and retirement research in the United States. The goal of JSIT is to provide emerging scholars with training to develop research ideas and with mentoring to write an initial research proposal. The research proposals that scholars develop through JSIT may be eligible for small grants or other support. JSIT is supported by the Social Security Administration Retirement and Disability Research Consortium. For more information, visit the JSIT landing page.
Webinar: Exploring Social Poverty: A Webinar Discussion of the Impact of Family and Community Ties for Low-Income Populations
On this December 3, 2019 webinar, author and Associate Professor, Sarah Halpern-Meekin, explored the question of whether the lack of close, meaningful social ties is a public – rather than just a private – problem in our society in her newly published book “Social Poverty: Low-Income Parents and the Struggle for Family and Community Ties”. This book provides a window into the nature of social ties among low-income, unmarried parents, highlighting their often-ignored forms of hardship. During this webinar Halpern-Meekin presented on her ground-breaking work, which explores poverty from a new angle that departs from typical poverty literature and explores social ties not just as an economic issue, but its own condition that also perpetuates poverty. Discussants, Amanda Kostman, from UW-Madison Division of Extension, Margie Zutter and Diana Jost from Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Dane County, and Johnna Georgia, Program Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County, spoke about their experiences in developing and providing services to address these issues of “social poverty”.
Webinar: What Motivates Consumers to Check their Credit?: Evidence from a Field Experiment
Most consumers do not obtain their annual credit report or participate in credit monitoring offered by credit reporting agencies and financial institutions. In 2010, only about 16 million American consumers checked their credit for free through one of the big three credit bureaus. Many possess inaccurate beliefs about their creditworthiness despite the availability of free credit checks. Financial decisions made with inaccurate credit information may be costly for consumers, harm their ability to borrow in the future, and, ultimately, diminish financial well-being. This study builds on a growing literature on reminder effects. Using a field experiment with a credit union in the United States, the effect of email reminders on credit checks is analyzed. The results from the study reveal that reminders are largely ineffective in encouraging consumers to check their credit.
In this October 23rd webinar, researcher Madelaine L’Esperance provides background on the study followed by presentations from the practice and policy perspectives.
