Working Paper: NBER ID: w25527
Authors: Dhaval M. Dave; Hope Corman; Ariel Kalil; Ofira Schwartzsoicher; Nancy Reichman
Abstract: This study investigates effects of welfare reform in the U.S. on the next generation. Most previous studies of effects of welfare reform on adolescents focused on high-school dropout of girls or fertility; little is known about how welfare reform has affected teenage boys. We use a difference-in-difference-in-differences framework to identify gender-specific effects of welfare reform on salient adolescent behaviors (skipping school, fighting, damaging property, stealing, hurting others, smoking, alcohol, marijuana, other illicit drugs). Welfare reform led to increases in delinquent behaviors of boys as well as increases in substance use of boys and girls, with substantially larger effects for boys.
Keywords: welfare reform; adolescent behaviors; delinquency; substance use
JEL Codes: H53; I12; I31; I38
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Welfare reform (I38) | delinquent behaviors among boys (K42) |
| Welfare reform (I38) | substance use among both genders (J16) |
| Welfare reform (I38) | delinquent behaviors among girls (K42) |
| Welfare reform (I38) | intergenerational effects on delinquent behaviors (J12) |
| Welfare reform (I38) | employment for women (J21) |