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The trouble with take-up

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  • Doorley, Karina
  • Kakoulidou, Theano

Abstract

Take-up of social welfare is key to its success in alleviating poverty. For a variety of reasons, including stigma, transaction costs and information asymmetry, take-up of welfare benefits is imperfect. This research note discusses the issue of take-up of social welfare and its measurement. We explore the difficulties of estimating welfare take-up, using the example of the Irish Working Family Payment (WFP) and two microsimulation models. We show how estimates of take-up can vary depending on the dataset used for simulation. We then estimate take-up of the WFP, updating the most recent estimate from 2005. Lastly, we discuss policy lessons.
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Suggested Citation

  • Doorley, Karina & Kakoulidou, Theano, 2023. "The trouble with take-up," Papers WP750, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:esr:wpaper:wp750
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Holly Sutherland & Francesco Figari, 2013. "EUROMOD: the European Union tax-benefit microsimulation model," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 1(6), pages 4-26.
    2. Bruce D. Meyer & Nikolas Mittag, 2019. "Using Linked Survey and Administrative Data to Better Measure Income: Implications for Poverty, Program Effectiveness, and Holes in the Safety Net," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 176-204, April.
    3. Lucie Martin & Liam Delaney & Orla Doyle, 2022. "Everyday Administrative Burdens and Inequality," Working Papers 202202, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    4. Claire Keane & Karina Doorley & Theano Kakoulidou & Seamus O’Malley, 2023. "SWITCH: A Tax-Benefit Model for Ireland Linked to Survey and Register Data," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 16(1), pages 65-88.
    5. Olivier Bargain & Herwig Immervoll & Heikki Viitamäki, 2012. "No claim, no pain. Measuring the non-take-up of social assistance using register data," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 10(3), pages 375-395, September.
    6. Doorley, Karina & Kakoulidou, Theano & O'Malley, Seamus & Russell, Helen & Maître, Bertrand, 2022. "Headline Poverty Target Reduction in Ireland and the Role of Work and Social Welfare," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number BKMNEXT424.
    7. Wonsik Ko & Robert A. Moffitt, 2022. "Take-up of Social Benefits," NBER Working Papers 30148, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Virginia Hernanz & Franck Malherbet & Michele Pellizzari, 2004. "Take-Up of Welfare Benefits in OECD Countries: A Review of the Evidence," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 17, OECD Publishing.
    9. Moffitt, Robert A. (ed.), 2007. "Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226533575, August.
    10. Caren Tempelman & Aenneli Houkes-Hommes, 2016. "What Stops Dutch Households from Taking Up Much Needed Benefits?," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 62(4), pages 685-705, December.
    11. Kerstin Bruckmeier & Jürgen Wiemers, 2012. "A new targeting: a new take-up?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 565-580, October.
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    1. Diego Muñoz-Higueras & Stephan Köppe & Rafael Granell & Amadeo Fuenmayor, 2024. "Non-take-up of in-work benefits: determinants, benefit erosion and indexing," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 58(1), pages 1-19, December.

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