Informal social networks may be the key to spreading information about social programs during "information shock" periods following policy changes. When eligibility rules and benefits of social programs change, participants are often left confused about how the changes impact them, and misinformation can spread. Such confusion associated with welfare reforms in the mid-1990s contributed to reduced participation in important programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). To better understand how to counter this problem, CPR's Sarah Hamersma, with colleagues David Figlio (Northwestern University) and Jeffrey Roth (University of Florida), recently conducted a study of immigrant communities in Florida to determine the degree to which informal information channels might help buffer such information shocks. Read more 

  CPR's Yoonseok Lee and colleague Donggyun Shin (Kyung Hee University) have developed a statistical measure of social tension arising from income class segregation. Despite its importance, there have been few attempts to measure the inherent level of class-based tension in a society. And while some studies have contributed to measuring the degree of social segregation, they have tended to neglect the psychological aspect of social tension. Lee and Shin's measure, in contrast, incorporates concepts of both between-group alienation and within-group identification. Their measure allows for asymmetric feelings about the income gap, assuming that the poor feel a higher level of alienation against the rich than vice versa. The measure is also general enough to include existing income polarization and inequality indices. Overall, measuring social tension is important because it contributes to a broader understanding of the substantial costs of social instability. Read more