IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp9780.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Effects of Welfare Reform on Women's Voting Participation

Author

Listed:
  • Dave, Dhaval M.

    (Bentley University)

  • Corman, Hope

    (Rider University)

  • Reichman, Nancy E.

    (Rutgers University)

Abstract

Voting is an important form of civic participation in democratic societies but a fundamental right that many citizens do not exercise. This study investigates the effects of welfare reform in the U.S. in the 1990s on voting of low income women. Using the November Current Population Surveys with the added Voting and Registration Supplement for the years 1990 through 2004 and exploiting changes in welfare policy across states and over time, we estimate the causal effects of welfare reform on women's voting registration and voting participation during the period during which welfare reform unfolded. We find robust evidence that welfare reform increased the likelihood of voting by about 4 percentage points, which translates to about a 10% increase relative to the baseline mean. The effects were largely confined to Presidential elections, were stronger in Democratic than Republican states, were stronger in states with stronger work incentive policies, and appeared to operate through employment, education, and income.

Suggested Citation

  • Dave, Dhaval M. & Corman, Hope & Reichman, Nancy E., 2016. "Effects of Welfare Reform on Women's Voting Participation," IZA Discussion Papers 9780, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp9780
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp9780.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dave, Dhaval M. & Reichman, Nancy E. & Corman, Hope & Das, Dhiman, 2011. "Effects of welfare reform on vocational education and training," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 1399-1415.
    2. Corman, Hope & Dave, Dhaval M. & Reichman, Nancy E., 2014. "Effects of welfare reform on women's crime," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-14.
    3. Panu Pelkonen, 2012. "Length of compulsory education and voter turnout—evidence from a staged reform," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 51-75, January.
    4. Henry S. Farber, 2009. "Increasing Voter Turnout: Is Democracy Day the Answer?," Working Papers 1116, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    5. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769.
    6. Hope Corman & Dhaval M. Dave & Dhiman Das & Nancy E. Reichman, 2013. "Effects Of Welfare Reform On Illicit Drug Use Of Adult Women," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(1), pages 653-674, January.
    7. Schoeni, R.F. & Blank, R.M., 2000. "What Has Welfare Reform Accomplished? Impacts on Welfare Participation, Employment, Income, Poverty, and Family Structure," Papers 00-02, RAND - Labor and Population Program.
    8. Edward L. Glaeser & David Laibson & Bruce Sacerdote, 2002. "An Economic Approach to Social Capital," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(483), pages 437-458, November.
    9. Timothy J. Feddersen, 2004. "Rational Choice Theory and the Paradox of Not Voting," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 18(1), pages 99-112, Winter.
    10. Henry S. Farber, 2009. "Increasing Voter Turnout: Is Democracy Day the Answer?," Working Papers 1135, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    11. Robert Kaestner & Elizabeth Tarlov, 2006. "Changes in the welfare caseload and the health of low-educated mothers," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(3), pages 623-643.
    12. Milligan, Kevin & Moretti, Enrico & Oreopoulos, Philip, 2004. "Does education improve citizenship? Evidence from the United States and the United Kingdom," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(9-10), pages 1667-1695, August.
    13. Knack, Stephen, 1998. "Drivers Wanted: Motor Voter and the Election of 1996," MPRA Paper 24983, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Jun 1999.
    14. Henry S. Farber, 2009. "Increasing Voter Turnout: Is Democracy Day the Answer?," Working Papers 1135, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    15. Lisa Schur, 2003. "Employment and the Creation of an Active Citizenry," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 41(4), pages 751-771, December.
    16. Henry S. Farber, 2009. "Increasing Voter Turnout: Is Democracy Day the Answer?," Working Papers 1116, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    17. Soss, Joe, 1999. "Lessons of Welfare: Policy Design, Political Learning, and Political Action," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 93(2), pages 363-380, June.
    18. Rebecca M. Blank, 2002. "Evaluating Welfare Reform in the United States," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 40(4), pages 1105-1166, December.
    19. Lena Edlund & Rohini Pande, 2002. "Why Have Women Become Left-Wing? The Political Gender Gap and the Decline in Marriage," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(3), pages 917-961.
    20. Schoeni, R.F. & Blank, R.M., 2000. "What Has Welfare Reform Accomplished? Impacts on Welfare Participation, Employment, Income, Poverty, and Family Structure," Papers 00-02, RAND - Labor and Population Program.
    21. Dhaval Dave & Hope Corman & Nancy Reichman, 2012. "Effects of Welfare Reform on Education Acquisition of Adult Women," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 251-282, June.
    22. repec:pri:cepsud:181farber is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Corman, Hope & Dave, Dhaval & Kalil, Ariel & Reichman, Nancy E., 2018. "Reprint of: Effects of maternal work incentives on youth crime," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 193-209.
    2. Dave, Dhaval M. & Corman, Hope & Kalil, Ariel & Schwartz-Soicher, Ofira & Reichman, Nancy E., 2019. "Effects of Maternal Work Incentives on Adolescent Social Behaviors," IZA Discussion Papers 12208, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Angela Cools, 2020. "Parents, Infants, and Voter Turnout," Working Papers 20-04, Davidson College, Department of Economics.
    4. Chrysanthou, Georgios Marios & Guilló, María Dolores, 2018. "The dynamics of political party support and egocentric economic evaluations: The Scottish case," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 192-213.
    5. Dhaval Dave & Hope Corman & Ariel Kalil & Ofira Schwartz‐Soicher & Nancy E. Reichman, 2021. "Intergenerational Effects Of Welfare Reform: Adolescent Delinquent And Risky Behaviors," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 59(1), pages 199-216, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Corman, Hope & Dave, Dhaval & Kalil, Ariel & Reichman, Nancy E., 2018. "Reprint of: Effects of maternal work incentives on youth crime," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 193-209.
    2. Hope Corman & Dhaval M. Dave & Nancy E. Reichman, 2018. "Age Gradient in Female Crime: Welfare Reform as a Turning Point," NBER Working Papers 24464, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Dhaval Dave & Hope Corman & Nancy Reichman, 2012. "Effects of Welfare Reform on Education Acquisition of Adult Women," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 251-282, June.
    4. Corman, Hope & Dave, Dhaval M. & Reichman, Nancy E., 2014. "Effects of welfare reform on women's crime," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-14.
    5. Julia Shu-Huah Wang, 2021. "State TANF Time Limit and Work Sanction Stringencies and Long-Term Trajectories of Welfare Use, Labor Supply, and Income," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 650-696, December.
    6. Corman, Hope & Dave, Dhaval M. & Schwartz-Soicher, Ofira & Reichman, Nancy E., 2022. "Effects of welfare reform on household food insecurity across generations," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    7. Dave, Dhaval M. & Corman, Hope & Kalil, Ariel & Schwartz-Soicher, Ofira & Reichman, Nancy E., 2019. "Effects of Maternal Work Incentives on Adolescent Social Behaviors," IZA Discussion Papers 12208, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. George L. Wehby & Dhaval M. Dave & Robert Kaestner, 2020. "Effects of the Minimum Wage on Infant Health," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(2), pages 411-443, March.
    9. Dhaval Dave & Hope Corman & Ariel Kalil & Ofira Schwartz‐Soicher & Nancy E. Reichman, 2021. "Intergenerational Effects Of Welfare Reform: Adolescent Delinquent And Risky Behaviors," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 59(1), pages 199-216, January.
    10. Hoffman, Mitchell & León, Gianmarco & Lombardi, María, 2017. "Compulsory voting, turnout, and government spending: Evidence from Austria," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 103-115.
    11. Dhaval M. Dave & Nancy E. Reichman & Hope Corman, 2008. "Effects of Welfare Reform on Educational Acquisition of Young Adult Women," NBER Working Papers 14466, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Nancy Reichman & Hope Corman & Dhaval M. Dave & Ariel Kalil & Ofira Schwartz-Soicher, 2020. "Effects of Welfare Reform on Parenting," NBER Working Papers 28077, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Nancy Reichman & Hope Corman & Dhaval M. Dave & Ariel Kalil & Ofira Schwartz-Soicher, 2020. "Effects of Welfare Reform on Parenting," Working Papers 2020-163, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    14. Corman, Hope & Dave, Dhaval & Kalil, Ariel & Reichman, Nancy E., 2017. "Effects of maternal work incentives on youth crime," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 128-144.
    15. Dhaval M. Dave & Hope Corman & Ariel Kalil & Ofira Schwartz-Soicher & Nancy Reichman, 2019. "Intergenerational Effects of Welfare Reform: Adolescent Delinquent and Risky Behaviors," NBER Working Papers 25527, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Hope Corman & Dhaval M. Dave & Dhiman Das & Nancy E. Reichman, 2013. "Effects Of Welfare Reform On Illicit Drug Use Of Adult Women," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(1), pages 653-674, January.
    17. Herbst, Chris M., 2014. "Are Parental Welfare Work Requirements Good for Disadvantaged Children? Evidence from Age-of-Youngest-Child Exemptions," IZA Discussion Papers 8485, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Neeraj Kaushal & Qin Gao & Jane Waldfogel, 2006. "Welfare Reform and Family Expenditures: How are Single Mothers Adapting to the New Welfare and Work Regime?," NBER Working Papers 12624, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Gregory Acs & Eric Toder, 2007. "Should we subsidize work? Welfare reform, the earned income tax credit and optimal transfers," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 14(3), pages 327-343, June.
    20. Cygan-Rehm, Kamila & Kuehnle, Daniel & Riphahn, Regina T., 2018. "Paid parental leave and families’ living arrangements," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 182-197.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    employment; voting; welfare reform; income; civic participation; education; difference-in-differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H0 - Public Economics - - General
    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp9780. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.