Abstract
Purpose: This paper aims to examine how population heterogeneity contributes to poverty in 17 high-income Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries during 1980-2005. Design/methodology/approach: The operational strategy involves linking poverty with heterogeneity directly as well as indirectly through welfare state policies as a latent variable in a structural equation framework. Findings: Findings support the widely held poverty-reducing roles of welfare state policies. Ethno-racial and religious diversities are found to positively contribute to welfare state policies and, through them, lower poverty, whereas immigration assumes opposite roles. Research limitations/implications: Data limitations on population and especially ethno-racial and religious heterogeneity caution against definitiveness. Originality/value: The findings are useful in understanding the heterogeneity connection of welfare state policies and poverty.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 47-68 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2014 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- OECD
- Population heterogeneity
- Poverty
- Structural equations
- Welfare state
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- General Economics, Econometrics and Finance