Research:
The economic well-being of families; economic hardship, material hardship, and poverty; and the methods researchers use to estimate these constructs.

Teaching:
Consumer Decision Making (HACE 3150)
Research Methods in Housing & Consumer Economics (HACE 4000/6000)
Seminar in Quantitative Research Methods (HACE 4900/6900)
Consumer Protection (HACE 5100/7100)
By Your Own Bootstraps: The Economic Challenges of Families (FYOS 1001)

Interests:
Associate Editor, Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal
Editorial Board, Journal of Consumer Education
Editorial Board, Journal of Consumer Affairs

Selected Awards:
2012 Mid Career Award, American Council on Consumer Interests
2010 Emerging Scholar Award, Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal
2005 Robert O. Hermann Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Council on Consumer Interests

Education:

Selected Publications/Presentations:

Sabia, J. J., & Nielsen, R. B. (2013). Minimum wages, poverty, and material hardship: New evidence from the SIPP. Review of Economics of the Household, 1-40. doi:10.1007/s11150-012-9171-8

Seay, M. C., Carswell, A. T., Nielsen, R. B., & Palmer, L. (2013). Rental real estate ownership prior to the Great Recession. Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 41(4), 363-374.

Nielsen, R. B. (2011). Cues to quality in quantitative research papers. Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 40(1), 85-89.

Chatterjee, S., & Nielsen, R. B. (2011). Employer-provided health insurance coverage: A comparison of employed native-born and immigrant Americans. Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 40(1), 15-27.

Nickols, S. Y., & Nielsen, R. B. (2011). “So many people are struggling”: Developing social empathy through a poverty simulation. Journal of Poverty, 15(1), 22-42.

Nielsen, R. B. (2010). Assessing financial wellness via computer-assisted telephone interviews. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 21(2), 16-29.

Nielsen, R. B., Garasky, S. B., & Chatterjee, S. (2010). Food insecurity and out-of-pocket medical expenditures: Competing basic needs? Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 39(2), 137-151.

Fletcher, C. N., Garasky, S. B., Jensen, H. H., & Nielsen, R. B. (2010). Transportation access: A key employment barrier for rural low-income families. Journal of Poverty, 14(2), 123-144.

Nielsen, R. B., Davern, M., Jones, Art Jr., & Boies, J. L. (2009). Complex sample design effects and health insurance variance estimation. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 43(2), 346-366.

Nielsen, R. B., & Garasky, S. B. (2008). Health insurance and personal finance: Coverage matters for individuals and families. Journal of Personal Finance, 7(1), 68-95.

Nielsen, R. B., & Garasky, S. B. (2008). Health insurance stability and health status: Do family-level coverage patterns matter? Journal of Family Issues, 29(11), 1471-1491.

Garasky, S. B., Nielsen, R. B., & Fletcher, C. N. (2008). Financial issues of low-income families. In J. Xiao (Ed.), Handbook of Consumer Finance Research. Springer.

Nielsen, R. B., Zick, C. D., Mayer, R. N., & Smith, K. R. (2001). Genetic testing and the demand for cancer insurance. Journal of Consumer Policy, 24(1), 1-21.

Selected Applied Research, Technical Reports

Nielsen, R. B. (2012). Georgia Family Statistics Presentation for UGA Extension. Extension Program Development Conference.

Sabia, J. J., & Nielsen, R. B. (2012). Are minimum wages effective at reducing hardship? New evidence from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Washington, DC: Employment Policies Institute.

Nielsen, R. B., & Malega, R. (2007). Colquitt County Partners for Progress Report: A report for the Colquitt County, GA Poverty Task Force. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. Report No. HACE-E-68.

Research Resources Developed by Nielsen and Colleagues

Seay, M. C., & Nielsen, R. B. (2012). SIPP Complex Sample Specification for SAS, Stata, and WesVar. Technical note, Department of Housing and Consumer Economics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Nielsen, R. B., & Seay, M. C. (2012). CPS Complex Sample Specification for SAS and Stata. Technical note, Department of Housing and Consumer Economics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Nielsen, R. B., & Seay, M. C. (2012). HRS Complex Sample Specification for SAS, Stata, and WesVar. Technical note, Department of Housing and Consumer Economics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Seay, M. C., & Nielsen, R. B. (2012). AHS Complex Sample Specification for SAS and Stata. Technical note, Department of Housing and Consumer Economics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Monthly Effective Minimum Wages for all States, 1996-Present.

Doctoral Student Dissertations Chaired

Melissa Wilmarth, Ph.D., Fall 2012: Financial wellness and relationship satisfaction: Identifying mediating communication patterns via structural equation models.

Michal Polanowski, Ph.D., Summer 2012: Finances of retired households: The effect of wealth-impacting events on income of retired U.S. households.

Research Resources

TurboTax 30-Year Minimum Wage Timeline of the U.S. Minimum Wage.

Other Resources

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