Science Publications

Sign Up
Sign In
Submit
Current Research in Public Health
Cite This Article Share Download PDF XML
  1. Home
  2. Journals
  3. Current Research in Public Health
  4. Archive
  5. Volume 5, Issue 1, 2025
  6. Article
Article Open Access May 05, 2025

Persistent Social Welfare Needs Among Educated Caribbean Black Individuals: Evidence of Minorities' Diminished Returns

Shervin Assari 1, 2, 3,*, Babak Najand 1, Hossein Zare 4, 5 and Amanda Sonnega 6
1
Marginalized-Related Diminished Returns (MDRs) Research Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2
Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
3
Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
4
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
5
School of Business, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), Adelphi, MD, USA
6
Institute of Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Publihed in: Current Research in Public Health (Volume 5, Issue 1, 2025)
Page(s): 98-109
DOI: 10.31586/jbls.2025.1189
Received
September 12, 2024
Revised
December 27, 2024
Accepted
February 10, 2025
Published
May 05, 2025
Keywords
: Welfare; Social Security; Educational Attainment; Minorities' Diminished Returns; Racial Disparities; Black; Immigrants; Caribbean Black
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Scientific Publications
Article metrics
Views
257
Downloads
24

Cite This Article

APA Style
Assari, S. , Assari, S. Najand, B. , Najand, B. Zare, H. , & Zare, H. (2025). Persistent Social Welfare Needs Among Educated Caribbean Black Individuals: Evidence of Minorities' Diminished Returns. Current Research in Public Health, 5(1), 98-109. https://doi.org/10.31586/jbls.2025.1189
ACS Style
Assari, S. ; Assari, S. Najand, B. ; Najand, B. Zare, H. ; Zare, H. Persistent Social Welfare Needs Among Educated Caribbean Black Individuals: Evidence of Minorities' Diminished Returns. Current Research in Public Health 2025 5(1), 98-109. https://doi.org/10.31586/jbls.2025.1189
Chicago/Turabian Style
Assari, Shervin, Shervin Assari. Babak Najand, Babak Najand. Hossein Zare, and Hossein Zare. 2025. "Persistent Social Welfare Needs Among Educated Caribbean Black Individuals: Evidence of Minorities' Diminished Returns". Current Research in Public Health 5, no. 1: 98-109. https://doi.org/10.31586/jbls.2025.1189
AMA Style
Assari S, Assari SNajand B, Najand BZare H, Zare H. Persistent Social Welfare Needs Among Educated Caribbean Black Individuals: Evidence of Minorities' Diminished Returns. Current Research in Public Health. 2025; 5(1):98-109. https://doi.org/10.31586/jbls.2025.1189 
@Article{crph1189,
AUTHOR = {Assari, Shervin and Najand, Babak and Zare, Hossein and Sonnega, Amanda},
TITLE = {Persistent Social Welfare Needs Among Educated Caribbean Black Individuals: Evidence of Minorities' Diminished Returns},
JOURNAL = {Current Research in Public Health},
VOLUME = {5},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {98-109},
URL = {https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/JBLS/article/view/1189},
ISSN = {2831-5162},
DOI = {10.31586/jbls.2025.1189},
ABSTRACT = {Background: Educational attainment is strongly linked to increased employment opportunities, higher income, and greater financial security, making its inverse relationship with reliance on social welfare programs well-documented. However, consistent with the Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory, the protective effects of education may be weaker for racial and ethnic minority groups compared to non-Latino Whites. This study examines whether the impact of educational attainment (measured as years of schooling) on social welfare use differs between Caribbean Black and White adults in the United States, focusing on outcomes since age 18 and in the past year. Objective: To investigate the relationship between years of schooling and the likelihood of using social welfare programs, while exploring whether this association varies between Caribbean Black and White adults, in alignment with the MDRs framework. Methods: Data were derived from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), a nationally representative dataset with a robust sample of Black and White adults in the United States. The study focused on Caribbean Black and White participants aged 18 and older. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the relationship between years of schooling and social welfare use, adjusting for covariates including age, gender, employment status, and marital status. Interaction terms were used to assess potential differences in the returns of education across racial groups. Results: Higher educational attainment was associated with reduced likelihood of using social welfare programs overall. However, consistent with the MDRs framework, the protective effect of education was weaker for Caribbean Black individuals compared to their White counterparts. Caribbean Blacks with similar levels of education as Whites were more likely to report using social welfare programs since age 18 and in the past year, highlighting diminished returns on education for this population. Conclusion: This study extends the MDRs framework to Caribbean Black populations, a group rarely studied in the U.S., revealing significant disparities in the economic benefits of education. The findings underscore the need for policies that address systemic barriers limiting the economic returns of education for racial and ethnic minorities, including Caribbean Blacks, to promote greater equity in social and economic outcomes.},
}
%0 Journal Article
%A Assari, Shervin
%A Najand, Babak
%A Zare, Hossein
%A Sonnega, Amanda
%D 2025
%J Current Research in Public Health

%@ 2831-5162
%V 5
%N 1
%P 98-109

%T Persistent Social Welfare Needs Among Educated Caribbean Black Individuals: Evidence of Minorities' Diminished Returns
%M doi:10.31586/jbls.2025.1189
%U https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/JBLS/article/view/1189

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Assari, Shervin
AU  - Najand, Babak
AU  - Zare, Hossein
AU  - Sonnega, Amanda
TI  - Persistent Social Welfare Needs Among Educated Caribbean Black Individuals: Evidence of Minorities' Diminished Returns
T2  - Current Research in Public Health
PY  - 2025
VL  - 5
IS  - 1
SN  - 2831-5162
SP  - 98
EP  - 109
UR  - https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/JBLS/article/view/1189
AB  - Background: Educational attainment is strongly linked to increased employment opportunities, higher income, and greater financial security, making its inverse relationship with reliance on social welfare programs well-documented. However, consistent with the Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory, the protective effects of education may be weaker for racial and ethnic minority groups compared to non-Latino Whites. This study examines whether the impact of educational attainment (measured as years of schooling) on social welfare use differs between Caribbean Black and White adults in the United States, focusing on outcomes since age 18 and in the past year. Objective: To investigate the relationship between years of schooling and the likelihood of using social welfare programs, while exploring whether this association varies between Caribbean Black and White adults, in alignment with the MDRs framework. Methods: Data were derived from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), a nationally representative dataset with a robust sample of Black and White adults in the United States. The study focused on Caribbean Black and White participants aged 18 and older. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the relationship between years of schooling and social welfare use, adjusting for covariates including age, gender, employment status, and marital status. Interaction terms were used to assess potential differences in the returns of education across racial groups. Results: Higher educational attainment was associated with reduced likelihood of using social welfare programs overall. However, consistent with the MDRs framework, the protective effect of education was weaker for Caribbean Black individuals compared to their White counterparts. Caribbean Blacks with similar levels of education as Whites were more likely to report using social welfare programs since age 18 and in the past year, highlighting diminished returns on education for this population. Conclusion: This study extends the MDRs framework to Caribbean Black populations, a group rarely studied in the U.S., revealing significant disparities in the economic benefits of education. The findings underscore the need for policies that address systemic barriers limiting the economic returns of education for racial and ethnic minorities, including Caribbean Blacks, to promote greater equity in social and economic outcomes.
DO  - Persistent Social Welfare Needs Among Educated Caribbean Black Individuals: Evidence of Minorities' Diminished Returns
TI  - 10.31586/jbls.2025.1189
ER  -