Lorentzen T, Dahl E, Harsløf I. Welfare risks in early adulthood: a longitudinal analysis of social assistance transitions in Norway
Int J Soc Welfare 2011: ••: ••–••© 2011 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.
This study assessed the significance of critical life events and socio-economic background in relation to the likelihood of young Norwegians receiving social assistance, asking how each of these factors contributes both independently and interactively. The data set was derived from a nationwide, longitudinal register and includes the entire 18-year-old cohort in 1993. A discrete-time proportional hazard rate analysis controlling for unobserved heterogeneity was applied. The results indicate that both socio-economic background and indicators of critical life events have strong independent effects on the likelihood of receiving social assistance. Significant interaction effects between socio-economic background and certain indicators of critical life events were detected. However, contrary to our expectations, under certain circumstances, coming from a group with low socio-economic status does not seem to ameliorate the effect of being exposed to critical life events.