In partnership with a local community college in in Omaha, Nebraska, the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania will conduct a randomized controlled trial to determine the impacts of a negative income tax for MCC students, with particular attention to educational and career advancement outcomes. The sample will include students in a degree-seeking program, as well as those in non-degree programs, such as those working towards professional certificates.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
750
Negative income tax calculated by the supplemental poverty measures less the household's prior tax year adjusted gross income, then divided by 12 to arrive at a monthly cash transfer
No negative income tax payment
Educational Program Completion
Completion of academic program, whether Associate's Degree or credential
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 36 months, 42 months
Workforce participation
Employment in industry associated with earned degree or credential
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 36 months, 42 months
Housing status
Housing status (e.g., renter, homeowner, rent-to-own, etc.) reported in the prior month.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 36 months, 42 months
Food security (Household Food Insecurity Access Scale)
9 items to assess past four week food insecurity: 1) worry about not having enough food, 2) inability to eat preferred foods, 3) eating a limited variety of foods, 4) having to eat foods that they did not want to eat, 5) eating a smaller meal than needed, 6) eating fewer meals in a day, 7) having no food to eat, 8) going to sleep at night hungry, and 9) going a whole day and night without eating. Items scored as "yes" (1) or "no" (0).
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 36 months, 42 months
Financial wellbeing (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Financial Wellbeing Scale)
Each item is scored 0 to 4 and summed to a total. The sum total is then converted to a total response value on the CFPB Financial Well-Being Scale score from 0-100, where higher scores indicate a greater sense of financial well-being.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 36 months, 42 months
Psychological distress (Kessler 6)
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Each item is scored from zero "none of the time" to four "all of the time." Scores of the 6 items are then summed, yielding a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 24. Low scores indicate low levels of psychological distress and high scores indicate high levels of psychological distress.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 36 months, 42 months
General health
Self-reported general health as measured by one question from the SF-36: "In general, would you say your health is:", with a 5-point scale from Poor to Excellent.
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 36 months, 42 months
Health Behavior Inventory-20
Assessment of health promotion and risk behaviors, Likert scaled inventory with 5 subscales
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 36 months, 42 months