There is considerable debate on whether the prospects of entering a high-paid job are better for those in low-paid jobs compared to the unemployed. Whilst some scholars argue that there is a scarring effect of unemployment others highlight that low pay might signal a low productivity and...

There is considerable debate on whether the employment and earnings prospects are better for those on low pay or for the unemployed. We use Understanding Society data for England and estimate dynamic random effects panel models which show robust evidence that the future unemployment risk is...

The COVID-19 pandemic had disproportionate impacts on women's employment, especially for mothers with school-age and younger children. However, the impacts likely varied depending on the type of policy response adopted by various governments. New Zealand presents a unique policy setting in which...

We study the relationship between financial well-being and sexual orientation in the United States using Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) data for 2019-2022. We document that people who are lesbian, gay, and bisexual (or LGB) have significantly more difficulty managing...

Do higher skills help mitigate the negative impact of economic crises? We study the effect of two major economic setbacks-the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2007-09 and the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020-on wage progression for New Zealanders with different skill levels. For our analysis, we link...

Does having a child immunised at the prior schedule genuinely impact the likelihood of vaccinating the child at the following schedule? Using longitudinal data from Growing Up in New Zealand study, we apply a random-effects probit model that also controls for the initial immunisation status. We...

Are low wages a way for the unemployed to switch to higher-paying jobs? Using data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), the labour market dynamics of unemployed, low-paid, and higher-paid employed men are analysed. Moreover, the respective (un)employment duration and occupational...

Several studies have shown significant persistence in low pay, along with a greater probability of moving out of low pay and into higher pay in the future. Low-paid jobs are therefore often deemed stepping stones, rather than dead-ends. However, using point-in-time information past literature...

Between 1997 and 2000, all states in the United States (US) enacted the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to provide publicly funded health insurance coverage for children in low income families. However, only 15 states including the District of Columbia chose to provide coverage...