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Family Safety Nets and Economic Transition: A Study of Worker Households in Poland

Author

Listed:
  • Donald Cox

    (Boston College)

  • Emmanuel Jimenez

    (World Bank)

  • Wlodek Okrasa

    (World Bank)

Abstract

Can Eastern European families most severely impoverished during the transition to capitalism rely on private family safety nets? This question is likely critical for the transition's success, but little is known about family networks in Eastern Europe. We analyze newly available Polish household surveys, conducted both before and after Poland's economic transition, which measure private inter- household transfers. Such transfers are large and widespread in Poland, and in many ways they appear to function like means-tested public transfers. They flow from high to low-income households and are targeted to young couples, large families and those experiencing illness. Private transfer patterns also suggest that they are responsive to liquidity constraints. Our results from 1987 data indicate that private transfers could fill a non-trivial portion of the income gap left by unemployment. But we also find evidence from 1992 data that family networks weakened somewhat after the transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Donald Cox & Emmanuel Jimenez & Wlodek Okrasa, 1996. "Family Safety Nets and Economic Transition: A Study of Worker Households in Poland," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 328., Boston College Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:boc:bocoec:328
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Wolff, Francois-Charles & Laferrere, Anne, 2006. "Microeconomic models of family transfers," Handbook on the Economics of Giving, Reciprocity and Altruism, in: S. Kolm & Jean Mercier Ythier (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Giving, Altruism and Reciprocity, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 13, pages 889-969, Elsevier.
    2. Kuhn, Randall & Stillman, Steven, 2004. "Understanding Interhousehold Transfers in a Transition Economy: Evidence from Russia," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 53(1), pages 131-156, October.
    3. Zuleika Ferre, 2004. "Una Aproximación al Apoyo Inter-hogares," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 1604, Department of Economics - dECON.
    4. Stefan Hochguertel & Henry Ohlsson, 2009. "Compensatory inter vivos gifts," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(6), pages 993-1023.
    5. Hungerman, Daniel M., 2014. "Public goods, hidden income, and tax evasion: Some nonstandard results from the warm-glow model," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 188-202.
    6. Dimova, Ralitza & Wolff, François-Charles, 2008. "Are private transfers poverty and inequality reducing? Household level evidence from Bulgaria," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 584-598, December.
    7. McKernan, Signe-Mary & Pitt, Mark M. & Moskowitz, David, 2005. "Use of the formal and informal financial sectors : does gender matter? empirical evidence from rural Bangladesh," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3491, The World Bank.
    8. Attanasio, Orazio & Rios-Rull, Jose-Victor, 2000. "Consumption smoothing in island economies: Can public insurance reduce welfare?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(7), pages 1225-1258, June.
    9. Lam, Lai Ming & Paul, Saumik, 2013. "Displacement and Erosion of Informal Risk-Sharing: Evidence from Nepal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 42-55.
    10. World Bank, 2003. "Romania : Poverty Assessment, Volume 2. Background Papers," World Bank Publications - Reports 14700, The World Bank Group.
    11. Hagen-Zanker, Jessica, 2010. "Modest expectations: Causes and effects of migration on migrant households in source countries," MPRA Paper 29507, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Lei, Xiaoyan & Giles, John & Hu, Yuqing & Park, Albert & Strauss, John & Zhao, Yaohui, 2012. "Patterns and correlates of intergenerational non-time transfers : evidence from CHARLS," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6076, The World Bank.
    13. Barmon, Basanta Kumar, 2011. "Expenditure Patterns Of Some Informal Sectors In Bangladesh: An Empirical Evidence Of Dhaka City," Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, vol. 34(1-2), pages 1-16, December.
    14. Anna Baranowska-Rataj, 2012. "What would your parents say? The impact of cohabitation on intergenerational relations in traditional societies," Working Papers 50, Institute of Statistics and Demography, Warsaw School of Economics.
    15. Mitrut, Andreea & Nordblom, Katarina, 2007. "Motives for Private Gift Transfers: Theory and Evidence from Romania," Working Papers in Economics 262, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics, revised 30 Apr 2008.
    16. Sergei Guriev & Barry W. Ickes, 2000. "Microeconomic Aspects of Economic Growth in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, 1950-2000," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 348, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
    17. Carolina Alban Conto, 2021. "Does Distance-Driven Information Asymmetry Affect Private Income Transfers? Theory and Evidence From Colombia," Working Papers hal-03192955, HAL.
    18. Pedro Albarran & Orazio P. Attanasio, 2002. "Do Public Transfers Crowd Out Private Transfers?: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Mexico," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2002-06, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    19. Mitrut, Andreea & Wolff, François-Charles, 2009. "A causal test of the demonstration effect theory," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 103(1), pages 52-54, April.
    20. Maria Amelina & Dan Chiribuca & Stephen Knack, 2004. "Mapped In or Mapped Out? The Romanian Poor in Inter-household and Community Networks," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 14934, December.
    21. Tomini, Florian & Hagen-Zanker, Jessica, 2010. "How has internal migration in Albania affected the receipt of transfers from family and friends?," MPRA Paper 29478, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    22. Mitrut, Andreea & Nordblom, Katarina, 2010. "Social norms and gift behavior: Theory and evidence from Romania," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(8), pages 998-1015, November.
    23. Christoph Bühler & Ewa Fratczak, 2005. "Learning from others and receiving support: the impact of personal networks on fertility intentions in Poland," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2005-017, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Private transfers; public transfers; economic transition; socialism; altruism; Poland.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • P35 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Public Finance

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