Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/67287 
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 6946
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper presents the Economic Security Index (ESI), a new, more comprehensive measure of economic insecurity. By combining data from multiple surveys, we create an integrated measure of volatility in available household resources, accounting for fluctuations in income and out-of-pocket medical expenses, as well as financial wealth sufficient to buffer against these shocks. We find that insecurity has risen steadily since the mid-1980s for virtually all subgroups of Americans, albeit with cyclical ups and downs. We also find, however, that there is substantial disparity in the degree to which different groups are exposed to economic risk. As the ESI derives from a data-independent conceptual foundation, it can be measured using different data sources. We find that the degree and disparity by which insecurity has risen is robust across these sources.
Subjects: 
household income
volatility
wealth
medical spending
JEL: 
I14
D31
J11
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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