Holding the Check Hostage
Representative Payees, Clients, and the Underground Economy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2366468 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Charles P Gallmeier (Indiana University Bloomington, corresponding author), Judith A Levy |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 395-425 |
| Publication date | 1998-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Contemporary Ethnography (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0891-2416 • E-ISSN: 1552-5414 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/089124198026004001 |
| OpenAlex | W2098129424 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 24 |
This article examines how the institutional, the informal, and the underground economy converge within the representative payee system, a federal program designed to provide needed income to poor, inner-city residents. Data from participant observation and unstructured interviews reveal how supplemental security income (SSI) entitlements help fuel the inner-city economy in two major ways: (1) through intended payments to individuals defined by the system as disabled and (2) through unintended payments to individuals using the role of payee to generate profit within the hidden economy. The analysis describes the representative payee system and how it operates. Subsections examine the processes of becoming a payee or client and the relationships between the two. Finally, the article analyzes how the payee system is integrated within the underground economy
Business · Payment · Payment system · Political science · Unintended consequences · Employment and Welfare Studies · Law · Taxation and Compliance Studies · Finance
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,17 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2020 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |