Immigrant Networks and the Take-Up of Disability Programs: Evidence from US Census Data

Delia Furtado and Nikolaos Theodoropoulos

No 6649, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper examines the role of ethnic networks in disability program take-up among working-age immigrants in the United States. We find that even when controlling for country of origin and area of residence fixed effects, immigrants residing amidst a large number of co-ethnics are more likely to receive disability payments when their ethnic groups have higher take-up rates. Although this pattern can be partially explained by cross-group differences in satisfying the work history or income and asset requirements of the disability programs, we also find that social norms and, to a lesser extent, information sharing play important roles.

Keywords: supplementary security income; social security disability insurance; networks; immigrants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C31 H55 I18 J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 53 pages
Date: 2012-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age, nep-dem, nep-ias, nep-mig, nep-soc and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published - published in: Economic Inquiry, 2016, 54 (1), 247–267

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Related works:
Working Paper: Immigrant Networks and the Take-Up of Disability Programs: Evidence from US Census Data (2014)
Working Paper: Immigrant Networks and the Take-Up of Disability Programs: Evidence from U.S. Census Data (2012)
Working Paper: Immigrant Networks and the Take-Up of Disability Programs: Evidence from US Census Data (2012)
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