This dissertation contributes to the literature on intergenerational transfers by examining the dynamics of financial assistance provided by midlife parents to their adult children across the life course. This dissertation also examines whether the cumulative advantage hypothesis stretches across generational lines during co-occurring life course experiences so that financial transfers convey additional advantages to adult children. I use panel data from four waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998) to provide a broad picture of the process of financial assistance to younger adults within extended families. I constructed within-family trajectories of assistance to demonstrate that financial transfers are more common than previously estimated. Over 60% of all midlife-parent households gave $500 or more at least once and many parents gave multiple transfers and/or gave transfers to several adult children during a seven-year period. In an examination of kinship structures that differentiates between paternal children and maternal children within blended families, I use nonlinear logistic regression models to show that the decreased likelihood that fathers provided financial assistance to children from a previous marriage accounted solely for the reduction in transfers that all stepchildren received compared to biological children. Multilevel regression models demonstrate that transfer amounts are also influenced by kinship structures and parental resources. Additional analyses show adult child life course transitions related to schooling and coresidence were influential for parents' transfer behaviors while other life course transitions related to work, marriage, home ownership and the addition of a grandchild to the family were not influential. The number of life course transitions experienced by adult children during later waves significantly increased the likelihood of transfer receipt. However, the diversification of experiences over time made it difficult to pinpoint specific life course transitions relevant to financial assistance from parents. The strong impact of previous transfers upon the likelihood that adult children would receive transfers at later waves shows that patterns of repeated transfers were common for many intergenerational families. I argue that future research should analyze the impact of parental wealth on transfers and should explicitly examine parents' motives for giving money to adult children. / Dissertation

This research examines the financial assistance given by parents to their adult children and the extent to which it is influenced by social policy. In recent years these intergenerational financial transfers have been the subject of much research and a great deal has been learnt about when and why parents make the decision to provide financial assistance (Cox, 1987; Kohli, 1999; Albertini & Kohli, 2012). Furthermore, there has been considerable research on apparent differences in such financial assistance across countries and the extent to which this is attributable to differences in the social policies of these countries (Albertini, Kohli, & Vogel, 2007; Schenk, Dykstra, & Maas, 2010; Brandt & Deindl, 2013). The aim of this research is to further this understanding by considering transfers from different perspectives, first by considering the receipt of transfers rather than the giving of transfers and then by exploring the transfer decision in the context of multi-child families. Through these approaches and by using new data sources and analytical methods, the research estimates the association between social policy and intergenerational financial transfers. Furthermore, it was the specific aim of this research to consider whether such an association would explain cross-national variation in transfer behaviour and the importance of social policies relative to other determinants of transfer behaviour. To achieve these aims a variety of quantitative methods were used to model the giving and receiving of transfers using data from the Survey for Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and the European Union’s Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). The analysis of this latter dataset represents an important contribution in itself as it allows for the exploration of the receipt of transfers in a comparative perspective for the first time. To incorporate the complex and rich nature of these two datasets, multilevel models are used to model households over time and children within families. The results of these analyses suggest that there is a small association between certain policies and parents providing financial assistance to their adult children. Those in receipt of larger public pensions are marginally more likely to provide financial assistance to their adult children than those with smaller public pensions. As for adult children themselves, those receiving financial assistance from the state in the form of child benefit, housing benefits, social exclusion benefits and educational benefits are fractionally more likely to receive from their parents as well. The estimated coefficients and maximum effect size of such social policies are very small compared to time invariant factors which include the parent’s financial resources and the number of siblings the child has. In addition, the cross-national variation in transfer behaviour identified within the analyses is considerably smaller than in previous research. The research concludes that social policies are of less importance with regards to transfer behaviour than previous research has suggested. Whilst the research identifies a clear association between social policies and transfer behaviour, it is relatively weak compared to other factors. However the research stops short of concluding that social policies do not matter, instead suggesting that future research should critically assess the importance of intergenerational transfers in determining the adult child’s outcomes.

The main aim of the thesis is to give a complex overview of different types of financial sources, from which new federated states can take benefits, and to give an opinion on the created effectiveness. Additional aims are to sum up the situation of the East German economy after WW2 and also the progress in its reforming during the 90s. Different historical development of the both former divided parts of nowadays Germany is essential because of understanding the economic situation of East Germany in 1990 and the nowadays problems. The first chapter sums up the economic consequences of the post war period, the influence of reparations, demontages and their dimension. In the second chapter follows an evaluation of the main topics of the beginning in the 90s - monetary reform and privatization. The third chapter goes on with the topic of economic reforms in the 90s and defines basic financial programs which are a long-term support to new federated states. Fourth chapter compares main chosen macroeconomic indicators of Germany and EU-27 and then of the old and new federated states. First, economic level of the whole Germany is being analysed and then its regional disparities. The last, fifth, chapter monitors the situation of Germany and its new federated states in the point of structural funds of the European Union.

Abstract Recent estimates are that migrants send approximately US$300 billion in financial remittances from developed to developing countries annually and that such money is important at the micro and macro levels in relieving family poverty. As a migrant-receiving country with a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) population, Australia has many migrants from developing countries who are part of this phenomenon. Little is known, however, about the purposes for which migrants send money home, the role it plays in intergenerational care and the perceptions of the impact of these payments on the recipients and on their own families in Australia. This study has a specific focus. It is interested in understanding the financial support provided to aged relatives in developing countries from Australian citizens. The term intergenerational financial transfers (IFTs) is used to distinguish money sent overseas by migrant adult children to parents or older relatives from general remittances. In Australian government accounting systems, remittances, or money sent to the home country by migrants, is collected as aggregate data, and it is therefore not possible to obtain a statistical understanding of how much money is being sent for specific purposes. This thesis explores the practice of making IFTs within one group of Australian citizens - Filipino migrants. Filipinos are one of the more numerous recent groups migrating to Australia from within its own geographic region, are known to send IFTs home, and are known to have good English skills that will facilitate research participation. The exploratory study uses in-depth interviews with a purposive, cross-sectional sample of 20 permanent Filipino migrants (10 female and 10 male). The interviews explore participants’ current practices of sending money home to older relatives, the influences and motivation to send money over the life cycle, and the perceptions of the impacts of the practice on themselves and recipients. A thematic analysis of the transcribed data shows that sending money home is not only a migrant activity, since more than half the participants sent money home to parents before migrating to Australia. It also shows that this sample did not migrate to Australia primarily to make remittances, but for some, migration made it possible to do so. Cultural factors were the main motivation for making IFTs, followed by socio-economic circumstances of parents, and family values. No participant would consider abandoning their commitment and those who experienced difficulty in making IFTs over the life cycle were prepared to sell items or take out loans to continue their practice. The data analysis also showed that as well as females sending on average $500 per annum and males $1,000 per annum as cash or cheques through agents or banks, participants also purchased other one-off items, and sent substantial amounts of money for various emergency situations. Participants provided other forms of caregiving including practical care, gave ongoing psychological and emotional support, and sent large packages of goods home, thereby assisting parents with a wider variety of personal caregiving. On occasion participants co-operated with their siblings to provide a wider framework of family caregiving for their parents. IFTs are an important component of support for older people in many developing countries, and are made without expectation of financial return. The data showed that the practice of making IFTs was problematic for some participants at different stages of the life cycle. Because of the strong cultural values and obligations underpinning the practice, participants sometimes felt pressure to make IFTs from potential savings when, for example, school-age family expenses were high and had to be met; some women in their intercultural marriages who were unable to meet IFTs from their own earnings as their preferred option had to negotiate IFTs from household income. The thesis builds knowledge in the area of intergenerational financial transfers, transnational families and transnational caregiving for older people. It also adds depth to the understanding of the caregiving responsibilities and commitments to older people of some Australian citizens. This research adds an understanding of the practice of one group of migrants who send money home to ageing parents in the 21st century. It provides insight into current processes and practices and points to areas of policy where migrant Australian citizens might receive greater recognition for observing cultural obligations to care for parents and older relatives.

Abstract Recent estimates are that migrants send approximately US$300 billion in financial remittances from developed to developing countries annually and that such money is important at the micro and macro levels in relieving family poverty. As a migrant-receiving country with a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) population, Australia has many migrants from developing countries who are part of this phenomenon. Little is known, however, about the purposes for which migrants send money home, the role it plays in intergenerational care and the perceptions of the impact of these payments on the recipients and on their own families in Australia. This study has a specific focus. It is interested in understanding the financial support provided to aged relatives in developing countries from Australian citizens. The term intergenerational financial transfers (IFTs) is used to distinguish money sent overseas by migrant adult children to parents or older relatives from general remittances. In Australian government accounting systems, remittances, or money sent to the home country by migrants, is collected as aggregate data, and it is therefore not possible to obtain a statistical understanding of how much money is being sent for specific purposes. This thesis explores the practice of making IFTs within one group of Australian citizens - Filipino migrants. Filipinos are one of the more numerous recent groups migrating to Australia from within its own geographic region, are known to send IFTs home, and are known to have good English skills that will facilitate research participation. The exploratory study uses in-depth interviews with a purposive, cross-sectional sample of 20 permanent Filipino migrants (10 female and 10 male). The interviews explore participants’ current practices of sending money home to older relatives, the influences and motivation to send money over the life cycle, and the perceptions of the impacts of the practice on themselves and recipients. A thematic analysis of the transcribed data shows that sending money home is not only a migrant activity, since more than half the participants sent money home to parents before migrating to Australia. It also shows that this sample did not migrate to Australia primarily to make remittances, but for some, migration made it possible to do so. Cultural factors were the main motivation for making IFTs, followed by socio-economic circumstances of parents, and family values. No participant would consider abandoning their commitment and those who experienced difficulty in making IFTs over the life cycle were prepared to sell items or take out loans to continue their practice. The data analysis also showed that as well as females sending on average $500 per annum and males $1,000 per annum as cash or cheques through agents or banks, participants also purchased other one-off items, and sent substantial amounts of money for various emergency situations. Participants provided other forms of caregiving including practical care, gave ongoing psychological and emotional support, and sent large packages of goods home, thereby assisting parents with a wider variety of personal caregiving. On occasion participants co-operated with their siblings to provide a wider framework of family caregiving for their parents. IFTs are an important component of support for older people in many developing countries, and are made without expectation of financial return. The data showed that the practice of making IFTs was problematic for some participants at different stages of the life cycle. Because of the strong cultural values and obligations underpinning the practice, participants sometimes felt pressure to make IFTs from potential savings when, for example, school-age family expenses were high and had to be met; some women in their intercultural marriages who were unable to meet IFTs from their own earnings as their preferred option had to negotiate IFTs from household income. The thesis builds knowledge in the area of intergenerational financial transfers, transnational families and transnational caregiving for older people. It also adds depth to the understanding of the caregiving responsibilities and commitments to older people of some Australian citizens. This research adds an understanding of the practice of one group of migrants who send money home to ageing parents in the 21st century. It provides insight into current processes and practices and points to areas of policy where migrant Australian citizens might receive greater recognition for observing cultural obligations to care for parents and older relatives.

Cette thèse s’est interrogée principalement sur le lien entre l’entraide familiale et la fécondité en contexte de pauvreté. Elle a donc mis en relief l’impact sur la fécondité des changements des comportements des ménages vis-à-vis de l’entraide familiale. Nous avons tenté d’identifier les facteurs de la baisse de la fécondité observée au Cameroun, et de discuter l’idée selon laquelle un affaiblissement du système de l’entraide familiale serait un déterminant de la fécondité. Entre autres, nous avons cherché aussi à relever les transformations subies par les ménages camerounais (configuration et composition), dues à l’impact de la pauvreté sur leurs organisations. En guise de résultats, outre le début d’un affaiblissement du système d’entraide familiale, d’autres facteurs tels que la baisse de la mortalité infanto-juvénile, etc., expliquent la baisse de la fécondité au Cameroun. Si l’on observe donc une persistance de l’entraide familiale au Cameroun malgré la pauvreté, notons néanmoins une montée en puissance de la nucléarisation de la famille qui se traduit par une préférence d’aider ses proches à distance au travers du soutien financier, au lieu de les avoir près de soi à travers la cohabitation. / This thesis wondered mainly about the link between the family mutual aid and the fertility in context of poverty. Thus she accentuated the impact on the fertility of the changes of the behavior of the households towards the family mutual aid. We tried to identify the factors of the reduction in the fertility observed in Cameroon, and tu discuss the idea according to which a weakening of the system of the family mutual aid would be a determiner of fertility. Among others, we also looked to raise the transformations undergone by the Cameroonian households (configuration and composition), due the impact of the poverty on their organizations. By way of results, besides the beginning of a weakening of the system of family mutual aid, other factors such as the reduction in the infanto-young mortality, etc., explain the reduction of the fertylity in Cameroon. If we thus observe an obstinacy of the family mutual aid in Cameroon in spite of the poverty, let us note nevertheless an increase in importance of the nuclearization of family which is translated by a preference to help his remote relations through the financial support, instead of having them near one through the cohabitation.

À l'intérieur d'un État, la distribution des ressources publiques sur le territoire a une importance fondamentale, parce qu'elle représente un facteur de justice dans les rapports entre collectivités territoriales, de sorte qu’elle conditionne la capacité à assurer les charges liées à l’exercice de leurs compétences, dans le respect de leur autonomie, au profit des habitants qui doivent pouvoir bénéficier d’une qualité minimale des services publics. Cette thèse vise d’abord à étudier et à comparer quelle est l’influence de la forme d’État (unitaire pour la France et fédérative pour le Brésil) sur les mécanismes de la solidarité territoriale. Elle se propose de décrire et d’analyser l’efficacité des mécanismes plus importants (financiers : impôt local, dotations, fonds et transferts facultatifs ; coopératifs : institutions représentatives, politiques publiques nationales, mutualisation et contrats entre collectivités territoriales) mis en place, dès le prélèvement des impôts (nationaux ou locaux), en passant par les incitations fiscales, jusqu’au transfert des ressources aux bénéficiaires. Toute d’abord par une description de l’évolution historique qui explique l’organisation territoriale et la naissance des mécanismes de solidarité actuels, puis en montrant les inégalités importantes qui existent, principalement entre communes pour, enfin, finir avec une analyse prospective de l’efficacité et des défauts (guerre fiscale, corruption et évasion fiscales) de ces mécanismes qui visent à réaliser une péréquation (verticale ou horizontale) des ressources publiques. / Within a state, the distribution of public resources inside the territory have a fundamental importance, because it represents a factor of justice in the relationship between local authorities, so that it affects the ability to provide their obligations related to the exercise of their powers in respect of their autonomy, in benefit of citizens who need to have a minimum quality of public services. This thesis aims first to examine and compare what is the influence of the form of state (Unitary for France and Federal for Brazil) on the mechanisms of territorial solidarity. It aims to describe and analyze the effectiveness of the most important mechanisms (financial: local taxes, grants, funds and discretionary transfers; cooperative: representative institutions, national public policies, pooling and contracts between central state and local authorities). Firstly with a description of the historical evolution of territorial organization and the birth of the current solidarity mechanisms and showing the significant existant inequalities, moreover among municipalities, to finally end up with a prospective analysis of effectiveness and defects (tax war, corruption and tax evasion) of these mechanisms designed to achieve equalization (vertical or horizontal) of public resources.