Credit Counseling, Financial Coaching, and Client Outcomes: An Examination of Program Impacts and Implementation Dynamics
Consumers in the United States are beset by a number of serious financial issues and concerns that are unlikely to disappear in the near future. When issues such as high levels of consumer debt, financial illiteracy, and suboptimal financial management skills are coupled with the vulnerability to ec...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Dissertation |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
01.01.2016
|
| Subjects: | |
| ISBN: | 1369370784, 9781369370782 |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Abstract | Consumers in the United States are beset by a number of serious financial issues and concerns that are unlikely to disappear in the near future. When issues such as high levels of consumer debt, financial illiteracy, and suboptimal financial management skills are coupled with the vulnerability to economic fluctuations and persistently low savings levels observed in the U.S., individuals may be rendered less capable of weathering even modest income and expense shocks and may face substantial financial distress over the course of their lives. Consumer credit counseling agencies offer a means of addressing the harms and risks caused by these economic realities.Given the reach of counseling initiatives, which serve millions of people a year, there is a distinct need for rigorous assessments of credit counseling(apostrophe)s potential impact on client outcomes. Understanding the impact of these services helps validate credit counseling(apostrophe)s potential as a lever for policymakers to employ in addressing the consumer financial issues associated with both economic shocks and longer-term trends in consumer behaviors.This dissertation focuses on two interventions housed within consumer credit counseling agencies: A credit counseling program and a financial coaching program. After outlining a conceptual framework through which the potential impacts of credit counseling may be understood, this dissertation empirically explores a nationwide credit counseling initiative and outlines a profile of counseling clients. To measure the impacts of this credit counseling program relative to the counterfactual, this dissertation estimates a series of differences-in-differences models to track outcomes for over 6,000 counseling clients relative to a matched non-counseled comparison group. The key finding of this analysis is that counseling clients reduce both revolving debt and total debt relative to the comparison group and these reductions hold when controlling for debt write-offs and debt management plan participation.This dissertation then narrows its focus to examine the impact that frontline implementation dynamics have on the outcome of an experimental financial coaching program. The analysis first demonstrates that both program outputs and target group outcomes vary by the frontline worker. It explores the sources of this variation and finds that these differences are associated with differing approaches to client engagement and different levels of worker engagement with the program itself. Specifically, the analysis finds that workers who are capable of successfully engaging clients are significantly more capable of driving program enrollment, while workers who are more engaged with the program(apostrophe)s change processes are significantly more capable of driving improved client outcomes.These analyses show not only that credit counseling can drive improvements in client financial outcomes but that understanding how programs are delivered also matters in assessing outcomes. In doing so, this dissertation contributes to the broad general literature on consumer financial policies and programs and to the limited literatures on credit counseling and financial coaching, as well as both the theoretically- and empirically-oriented literatures on social service implementation in the fields of public policy and management. Further, it contributes to the emerging research on the use of behavioral economics to understand and address issues in public policy. |
|---|---|
| AbstractList | Consumers in the United States are beset by a number of serious financial issues and concerns that are unlikely to disappear in the near future. When issues such as high levels of consumer debt, financial illiteracy, and suboptimal financial management skills are coupled with the vulnerability to economic fluctuations and persistently low savings levels observed in the U.S., individuals may be rendered less capable of weathering even modest income and expense shocks and may face substantial financial distress over the course of their lives. Consumer credit counseling agencies offer a means of addressing the harms and risks caused by these economic realities.Given the reach of counseling initiatives, which serve millions of people a year, there is a distinct need for rigorous assessments of credit counseling(apostrophe)s potential impact on client outcomes. Understanding the impact of these services helps validate credit counseling(apostrophe)s potential as a lever for policymakers to employ in addressing the consumer financial issues associated with both economic shocks and longer-term trends in consumer behaviors.This dissertation focuses on two interventions housed within consumer credit counseling agencies: A credit counseling program and a financial coaching program. After outlining a conceptual framework through which the potential impacts of credit counseling may be understood, this dissertation empirically explores a nationwide credit counseling initiative and outlines a profile of counseling clients. To measure the impacts of this credit counseling program relative to the counterfactual, this dissertation estimates a series of differences-in-differences models to track outcomes for over 6,000 counseling clients relative to a matched non-counseled comparison group. The key finding of this analysis is that counseling clients reduce both revolving debt and total debt relative to the comparison group and these reductions hold when controlling for debt write-offs and debt management plan participation.This dissertation then narrows its focus to examine the impact that frontline implementation dynamics have on the outcome of an experimental financial coaching program. The analysis first demonstrates that both program outputs and target group outcomes vary by the frontline worker. It explores the sources of this variation and finds that these differences are associated with differing approaches to client engagement and different levels of worker engagement with the program itself. Specifically, the analysis finds that workers who are capable of successfully engaging clients are significantly more capable of driving program enrollment, while workers who are more engaged with the program(apostrophe)s change processes are significantly more capable of driving improved client outcomes.These analyses show not only that credit counseling can drive improvements in client financial outcomes but that understanding how programs are delivered also matters in assessing outcomes. In doing so, this dissertation contributes to the broad general literature on consumer financial policies and programs and to the limited literatures on credit counseling and financial coaching, as well as both the theoretically- and empirically-oriented literatures on social service implementation in the fields of public policy and management. Further, it contributes to the emerging research on the use of behavioral economics to understand and address issues in public policy. |
| Author | Roll, Stephen Patrick |
| Author_xml | – sequence: 1 givenname: Stephen surname: Roll middlename: Patrick fullname: Roll, Stephen Patrick |
| BookMark | eNotjVFLwzAcxAMq6Oa-Q8BXC2mSNqlvo25uMJgP-jyS9J8ZaZPZpOC-vWHz6Y7jfnczdOuDhxs0K1ndMEGE5PdoEaPThJCGMcLpAzq3I3Qu4TZMPkLv_PEZr51X3jjV51SZr0umfIfb3oFPeD8lEwaIL3jp8epXDbmeXPA4WPw-huOoBrwdTsqkeMGy72HI5LX1evYZMfER3VnVR1j86xx9rlcf7abY7d-27XJX6LKsRWG5YgQ009xIaGSpJLdVaSx0laylqIwWmiqjOQUBmlqiRUNqBow0VAjL2Bw9XXdPY_iZIKbDd5hGny8PpaxIRTllkv0BPy5bjg |
| ContentType | Dissertation |
| Copyright | Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works. |
| Copyright_xml | – notice: Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works. |
| DBID | 054 0BH 0J6 3V. 7WY 7WZ 7XB 87Z 8FK 8FL AAFGM ABLUL ABPUF ABSSA ABUWG ACIOU ADZZV AFKRA AGAJT AGSBL AJNOY AMEAF AQTIP BENPR BEZIV BOUDT CBHQV CCPQU DWQXO EU9 FRNLG F~G G20 K60 K6~ M0C OK5 P6D PHGZM PHGZT PKEHL PQBIZ PQBZA PQCXX PQEST PQQKQ PQUKI PRINS Q9U |
| DatabaseName | Dissertations & Theses Europe Full Text: Social Sciences ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Professional Dissertations & Theses @ Ohio State University ProQuest Central (Corporate) ABI/INFORM Collection ABI/INFORM Global (PDF only) ProQuest Central (purchase pre-March 2016) ABI/INFORM Global (Alumni Edition) ProQuest Central (Alumni) (purchase pre-March 2016) ABI/INFORM Collection (Alumni Edition) ProQuest Central Korea - hybrid linking Business Premium Collection - hybrid linking ABI/INFORM Collection (Alumni) - hybrid linking ABI/INFORM Collection - hybrid linking ProQuest Central (Alumni Edition) ABI/INFORM Global - hybrid linking ProQuest Central (Alumni) - hybrid linking ProQuest Central UK/Ireland ProQuest Central Essentials - hybrid linking ABI/INFORM Global (Alumni) - hybrid linking Business Premium Collection (Alumni) - hybrid linking ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection ProQuest Women's & Gender Studies - hybrid linking ProQuest Central Business Premium Collection ProQuest One Business - hybrid linking ProQuest One Business (Alumni) - hybrid linking ProQuest One Community College ProQuest Central Korea ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I Business Premium Collection (Alumni) ABI/INFORM Global (Corporate) ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global ProQuest Business Collection (Alumni Edition) ProQuest Business Collection ABI/INFORM Global Dissertations & Theses @ Big Ten Academic Alliance ProQuest Dissertations and Theses A&I: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection ProQuest Central Premium ProQuest One Academic (New) ProQuest One Academic Middle East (New) ProQuest One Business ProQuest One Business (Alumni) ProQuest Central - hybrid linking ProQuest One Academic Eastern Edition (DO NOT USE) ProQuest One Academic (retired) ProQuest One Academic UKI Edition ProQuest Central China ProQuest Central Basic |
| DatabaseTitle | ABI/INFORM Global (Corporate) ProQuest Business Collection (Alumni Edition) ProQuest One Business ProQuest One Academic Middle East (New) Dissertations & Theses @ Ohio State University ProQuest Central (Alumni Edition) ProQuest One Community College ProQuest Central China ABI/INFORM Complete ProQuest Central ProQuest Central Korea Dissertations & Theses @ CIC Institutions ProQuest Central (New) ABI/INFORM Complete (Alumni Edition) Business Premium Collection ABI/INFORM Global ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection ABI/INFORM Global (Alumni Edition) ProQuest Central Basic ProQuest One Academic Eastern Edition ProQuest Business Collection ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Professional ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Dissertations & Theses Europe Full Text: Social Sciences ProQuest One Academic UKI Edition ProQuest Dissertations and Theses A&I: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection ProQuest One Business (Alumni) ProQuest One Academic ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I ProQuest One Academic (New) ProQuest Central (Alumni) Business Premium Collection (Alumni) |
| DatabaseTitleList | ABI/INFORM Global (Corporate) |
| Database_xml | – sequence: 1 dbid: BENPR name: ProQuest Central url: https://www.proquest.com/central sourceTypes: Aggregation Database |
| DeliveryMethod | fulltext_linktorsrc |
| ExternalDocumentID | 4283039721 |
| Genre | Dissertation/Thesis |
| GroupedDBID | 054 0BH 0J6 3V. 7WY 7XB 8FK 8FL 8R4 8R5 ABUWG AFKRA AMEAF AZQEC BENPR BEZIV CCPQU DWQXO EU9 FRNLG G20 K60 K6~ M0C OK5 P6D PHGZM PHGZT PKEHL PQBIZ PQBZA PQEST PQQKQ PQUKI PRINS Q2X Q9U |
| ID | FETCH-LOGICAL-b1167-f4a30eb3b4c8e981a84f51cfed586875cb7b2acb42e7eb2f0b79063e309277f33 |
| IEDL.DBID | BENPR |
| ISBN | 1369370784 9781369370782 |
| IngestDate | Sun Jun 29 16:17:29 EDT 2025 |
| IsPeerReviewed | false |
| IsScholarly | false |
| Language | English |
| LinkModel | DirectLink |
| MergedId | FETCHMERGED-LOGICAL-b1167-f4a30eb3b4c8e981a84f51cfed586875cb7b2acb42e7eb2f0b79063e309277f33 |
| Notes | SourceType-Dissertations & Theses-1 ObjectType-Dissertation/Thesis-1 content type line 12 |
| PQID | 1850524238 |
| PQPubID | 18750 |
| ParticipantIDs | proquest_journals_1850524238 |
| PublicationCentury | 2000 |
| PublicationDate | 20160101 |
| PublicationDateYYYYMMDD | 2016-01-01 |
| PublicationDate_xml | – month: 01 year: 2016 text: 20160101 day: 01 |
| PublicationDecade | 2010 |
| PublicationYear | 2016 |
| Publisher | ProQuest Dissertations & Theses |
| Publisher_xml | – name: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses |
| SSID | ssib000933042 |
| Score | 1.7107329 |
| Snippet | Consumers in the United States are beset by a number of serious financial issues and concerns that are unlikely to disappear in the near future. When issues... |
| SourceID | proquest |
| SourceType | Aggregation Database |
| SubjectTerms | Consumer credit Consumer protection Credit scoring Debt management Employment Finance Households Individual & family studies Public administration Public policy |
| Title | Credit Counseling, Financial Coaching, and Client Outcomes: An Examination of Program Impacts and Implementation Dynamics |
| URI | https://www.proquest.com/docview/1850524238 |
| hasFullText | 1 |
| inHoldings | 1 |
| isFullTextHit | |
| isPrint | |
| link | http://cvtisr.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwpV3NS8MwFA-6eRAPKip-zJGDxwXTJm1TL6Ldph6cQxTnaaRJCoJ2unai_70vXcoExYuXQhLalDz6fn1fv4fQkalYn6gi3JOUcOEbIo1OSUhhGgCWaS2qZhPRYCBGo3joHG6FS6usdWKlqPVEWR_5MeAKDSz4i9PXN2K7RtnoqmuhsYyalqmMN1DzvDcY3v5ir3ssBCQGQOSO6Kke-z-0cAUt_fX_vtQGWut-i6lvoiWTb6HPZAqoVOJFyXkH92tyDZidp1B2sMw1Tp5tTSS-mZWwqSlO8FmOex_S5sjYJ-JJhofzLC58VdVUFtVtFa_wiytdynF33tq-2Eb3_d5dcklclwWS2hgMybhkFEzqlCthYuFJwbPAU5nRgQjBmlFplPpSpdw3EZjhGU1BuiEzjMZ-FGWM7aBGPsnNLsIxiDbmgRawwhljUvs6VVzHKoYNTLSHWvUxjt2nUowXZ7j_9_IBWoW_Fef_aKFGOZ2ZQ7Si3sunYtpGy9HDY9vJH0YXPoXrNU2-AEzKvGA |
| linkProvider | ProQuest |
| linkToHtml | http://cvtisr.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMw1V1LS8NAEF5KFRQPKio-qu5Bbw2mu5tkI4hI2tLSWnuo0FvNPgKCptqkav-Uv9HZNKGC4q0Hj9llE2ZnMt_O7DwQOtNZ1SdbWqwW2hbjRFuhVsJybRgGgKVK8azZhNfr8eHQ75fQZ5ELY8IqC52YKWo1lsZHfgG4YjsG_Pn1y6tlukaZ29WihcZcLDp69g4mW3LVrgN_zwlpNgZBy8q7CljC3DlYEQupDSakYJJrn9dCziKnJiOtHO7C6V0KT5BQCka0B2ZnZAugxqWa2j7xvMg4QEHlrzAGv4MJFbSDX7wDNeoC7gP8srysVPFMfuj8DMiam_9tC7bQRv1bxMA2Kul4B82CCWBuihcJ9VXcLEqHwOg8QLSKw1jh4MlkfOK7aQpE6uQS38S48RGaCCDzRjyOcH8eo4bbWcZoki3LqiY_54lZMa7PYlgik110vxRS91A5Hsd6H2EfBNdnjuIwwyiloSJKSKZ86cMHtHeAKgXbRrkiSEYLnh3-PX2K1lqD2-6o2-51jtA6nMtyT08FldPJVB-jVfmWPiaTk0zmMHpYNoe_ADHmFVM |
| linkToPdf | http://cvtisr.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMw1V1LS8NAEF6KiogHFRUfVfegt4am2U12I4hI02Cp1B4U66lmHwFBU21StX_NX-dsmlBB8daDx-yyCbszmW9mdh4IHeu86pMtLdqIbItyR1uRVsLybBgGgCVK8bzZBOt2eb_v9yros8yFMWGVpUzMBbUaSuMjrwOu2K4Bf16Pi7CIXhCev7xapoOUuWkt22lMWaSjJ-9gvqVn7QBofeI4YeumeWkVHQYsYe4frJhGxAZzUlDJtc8bEaex25CxVi73QJOXggknkoI6moEJGtsCduYRTWzfYSw2zlAQ_4vM8D38S-zu_hdPQYN4oAMAFNOixFT57PyQ_zmohWv_-TjW0WrwLZJgA1V0sokmzRFgcYZnifY1HJYlRWB0Gjhaw1GicPPJZILi63EGG9bpKb5IcOsjMpFB5o14GOPeNHYNt_NM0jRflldTfi4SthIcTBJYItMtdDuXrW6jhWSY6B2EfWBon7qKwwwlhETKUUJS5UsfPqDZLqqWJBwUAiIdzOi39_f0EVoGwg6u2t3OPloBda1wAFXRQjYa6wO0JN-yx3R0mLMfRg_zJvAXZi4ecA |
| openUrl | ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adissertation&rft.genre=dissertation&rft.title=Credit+Counseling%2C+Financial+Coaching%2C+and+Client+Outcomes%3A+An+Examination+of+Program+Impacts+and+Implementation+Dynamics&rft.DBID=054%3B0BH%3B0J6%3B3V.%3B7WY%3B7WZ%3B7XB%3B87Z%3B8FK%3B8FL%3BAAFGM%3BABLUL%3BABPUF%3BABSSA%3BABUWG%3BACIOU%3BADZZV%3BAFKRA%3BAGAJT%3BAGSBL%3BAJNOY%3BAMEAF%3BAQTIP%3BBENPR%3BBEZIV%3BBOUDT%3BCBHQV%3BCCPQU%3BDWQXO%3BEU9%3BFRNLG%3BF%7EG%3BG20%3BK60%3BK6%7E%3BM0C%3BOK5%3BP6D%3BPHGZM%3BPHGZT%3BPKEHL%3BPQBIZ%3BPQBZA%3BPQCXX%3BPQEST%3BPQQKQ%3BPQUKI%3BPRINS%3BQ9U&rft.PQPubID=18750&rft.au=Roll%2C+Stephen+Patrick&rft.date=2016-01-01&rft.pub=ProQuest+Dissertations+%26+Theses&rft.isbn=1369370784&rft.externalDBID=HAS_PDF_LINK&rft.externalDocID=4283039721 |
| thumbnail_l | http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781369370782/lc.gif&client=summon&freeimage=true |
| thumbnail_m | http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781369370782/mc.gif&client=summon&freeimage=true |
| thumbnail_s | http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781369370782/sc.gif&client=summon&freeimage=true |