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Author: Nam, Jaehyun
Resulting in 7 citations.
1. Nam, Jaehyun
Does Economic Inequality Constrain Intergenerational Economic Mobility? The Association Between Income Inequality During Childhood and Intergenerational Income Persistence in the United States
Social Indicators Research published online (3 January 2021): DOI: 10.1007/s11205-020-02579-2.
Also: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-020-02579-2
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Springer
Keyword(s): Geocoded Data; Income; Intergenerational Patterns/Transmission; Mobility, Economic; Socioeconomic Background; State-Level Data/Policy

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Using the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979, I examine the association between income inequality and intergenerational income mobility in the United States. This study finds that rising income inequality is associated with strengthening the importance of parental family income to child's income. Particularly, the evidence that greater income inequality decreases intergenerational income mobility is clearer when interstate migration problems are addressed. This evidence indicates that income inequality matters since it hinders the equal opportunity to succeed, especially for children from low-income families. If equality of opportunity is a value for policymakers, it provides justification for policy interventions and government efforts to reduce income inequality. A number of sensitivity tests confirm that the main results are robust and reliable.
Bibliography Citation
Nam, Jaehyun. "Does Economic Inequality Constrain Intergenerational Economic Mobility? The Association Between Income Inequality During Childhood and Intergenerational Income Persistence in the United States." Social Indicators Research published online (3 January 2021): DOI: 10.1007/s11205-020-02579-2.
2. Nam, Jaehyun
Government Spending During Childhood and Intergenerational Income Mobility in the United States
Children and Youth Services Review 100 (May 2019): 332-343.
Also: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740918310491
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Geocoded Data; Income; Intergenerational Patterns/Transmission; Mobility, Economic; State-Level Data/Policy; Welfare

This study examines the effects of government spending during childhood on the association between income inequality and intergenerational income mobility. I use the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data with state-level measures of income inequality and per-capita total government spending that includes federal, state and local expenditures on education, public welfare, and health care. The 4824 parents-children pairs are used for the analysis. This study provides evidence that additional government spending contributes to promoting intergenerational income mobility. Moreover, government spending moderates the effects of income inequality on intergenerational income mobility. This evidence indicates that government spending plays a role in preventing the decrease in intergenerational income mobility by offsetting the consequences of income inequality.
Bibliography Citation
Nam, Jaehyun. "Government Spending During Childhood and Intergenerational Income Mobility in the United States." Children and Youth Services Review 100 (May 2019): 332-343.
3. Nam, Jaehyun
Intergenerational Income Mobility, Income Inequality, and Government Investment in the United States
Presented: Denver CO, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 2018
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Family Income; Geocoded Data; Income Distribution; Intergenerational Patterns/Transmission; Mobility, Economic; State-Level Data/Policy

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Using the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979, I first examine the association between intergenerational income mobility and income inequality in the United States, and then examine intergenerational income mobility with respect to income inequality and government spending. This study finds that rising income inequality acts to strengthen the importance of parental family income to child's income. Particularly, the evidence that higher income inequality decreases intergenerational income mobility is clearer when migration problems are addressed. This study extends to include government spending and provides evidence that additional government spending contributes to promoting intergenerational income mobility. Moreover, government spending moderates the effects of income inequality on intergenerational income mobility. This evidence indicates that government spending plays a role in blunting the decrease in intergenerational income mobility by offsetting the consequences of income inequality. A number of sensitivity tests confirm that the main results are robust and reliable.
Bibliography Citation
Nam, Jaehyun. "Intergenerational Income Mobility, Income Inequality, and Government Investment in the United States." Presented: Denver CO, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 2018.
4. Nam, Jaehyun
Intergenerational Mobility, Inequality and Government Investment in the United States
Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Social Work, Columbia University, 2017
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT)
Keyword(s): Family Income; Geocoded Data; Income Level; Intergenerational Patterns/Transmission; Mobility, Economic; State-Level Data/Policy

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Given the widely-accepted finding that countries with greater income inequality also experience less income mobility across generations (Corak, 2013; Krueger, 2012), it is expected that American mobility has decreased with rising income inequality in recent decades (Aaronson & Mazumder, 2008; Corak, 2013; Mazumder, 2012). However, mobility has remained unchanged (Chetty, Hendren, Kline, Saez, & Turner, 2014), and is unresponsive to changes in income inequality (Bloome, 2015). These findings raise questions as to why intergenerational income mobility in the U.S. has not fallen during the periods when income inequality has sharply risen. To address these questions, the dissertation focuses on two aims. The first aim is to examine the association between intergenerational income mobility and income inequality in the United States. The second aim is to examine intergenerational income mobility with respect to income inequality and government spending.

The main data for this dissertation come from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979 (NLSY79). The basic sample includes 4,824 parents-children pairs. I aggregate the state-level data from several different resources such as the IRS's Statistics of Income, U.S. Census of Governments, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state-level sample includes 220 state-year observations.

Overall, the intergenerational elasticity (IGE) of income is about 0.43, and the analysis indicates that the US in reality is highly immobile, especially when looking at the extreme income groups of the bottom and the top. This study finds that rising income inequality acts to strengthen the importance of parental family income to child's income. Particularly, the evidence that higher income inequality decreases intergenerational income mobility is clearer when migration problems are addressed.

Bibliography Citation
Nam, Jaehyun. Intergenerational Mobility, Inequality and Government Investment in the United States. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Social Work, Columbia University, 2017.
5. Nam, Jaehyun
Ansong, David
Intergenerational Transmission of Economic Advantages and Disadvantages from the Asset Perspective
Presented: Washington DC, Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, January 2018
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)
Keyword(s): Assets; Intergenerational Patterns/Transmission; Mobility, Economic; Net Worth; Parental Influences

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Background: This study contributes to the understanding of the intergenerational transmission of economic status from the assets perspective by focusing on how parents' net worth affects their children's future net worth. In addition, we examine the racial differences in the intergenerational transmission of net worth.

Methods: This study uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, which contains information on net worth and assets of adult children and parents.

Results: Results from the simple unconditional means (UCM) model suggest that adult children's net worth increases as they age.

Conclusions and Implications: This study finds that parents' new worth is a strong indicator of children's future new worth, although racial heterogeneity in the wealth transmission exists.

Bibliography Citation
Nam, Jaehyun and David Ansong. "Intergenerational Transmission of Economic Advantages and Disadvantages from the Asset Perspective." Presented: Washington DC, Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, January 2018.
6. Nam, Jaehyun
Ansong, David
The Effects of a Dedicated Education Savings Account on Children's College Graduation
Economics of Education Review 48 (October 2015): 198-207.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775715000886
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): College Degree; Educational Attainment; Parental Investments; Propensity Scores; Savings

Emerging research in the asset-building field suggests economic resources in general are associated with positive educational outcomes. However, there is little empirical evidence specifically concerning the effects of parents holding a dedicated education savings account on their children's attainment of associate's and bachelor's degrees. There is a need for more replication studies to help confirm that the emerging evidence is accurate and applicable with different populations and under different situations. This study helps fill this research gap by using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97. Data are analyzed using propensity score adjusted regression techniques. Results show if parents create a savings account earmarked for their children's education, the children are more likely to attain college degrees. These findings suggest that current asset-based policies and programs that encourage low- and moderate-income parents to create and hold education savings accounts can also serve as a policy strategy to help improve higher educational attainment of children from lower income households.
Bibliography Citation
Nam, Jaehyun and David Ansong. "The Effects of a Dedicated Education Savings Account on Children's College Graduation." Economics of Education Review 48 (October 2015): 198-207.
7. Nam, Jaehyun
Ansong, David
The Impact of Parents' Savings on Their Childrens' Future Education
Presented: New Orleans LA, Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, January 2015
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)
Keyword(s): Educational Attainment; Net Worth; Parental Influences; Parental Investments; Savings

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Results from the regression adjusted propensity matched estimates show that parents' savings for their children's education are statistically significant for a two year post-secondary associate graduation (TE=.21, p<.001) and a four year college graduation (TE=.22, p<.001). The results indicate that, compared to what would happen if parents had no savings for their children's future education, children whose parents saved are 21% and 22% more likely to have associate and college degrees, respectively.
Bibliography Citation
Nam, Jaehyun and David Ansong. "The Impact of Parents' Savings on Their Childrens' Future Education." Presented: New Orleans LA, Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, January 2015.