IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/presci/v86y2007i2p215-239.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Regional welfare program and labour force participation

Author

Listed:
  • Sonya Kostova Huffman
  • Maureen Kilkenny

Abstract

. This paper investigates regional variations in household welfare program and labour force participation behaviour in the United States. A choice‐theoretic model is developed and estimated for each of the major census regions (Northeast, Midwest, South and West) using cross‐section data on households, labour markets, and state policies. We show how the observable heterogeneity across U.S. census regions explains different welfare program participation and workforce outcomes. We find little evidence of differences in behaviour with respect to welfare program policies across regions. This finding undermines some of the efficiency rationale for the devolution of authority over welfare programs to the states. We also find evidence that welfare program participation still reduces labour supply in some regions. That finding supports the incentive rationale for the imposition of work requirements. Abstract. Este artículo investiga las variaciones regionales en un programa de asistencia social para hogares y comportamiento de participación de mano de obra en los Estados Unidos. Para cada una de las principales regiones censuales (noreste, medio oeste, sur y oeste) se desarrolla y estima un modelo de teoría de la elección usando datos transversales sobre hogares, mercados de mano de obra, y políticas estatales. Mostramos como la heterogeneidad observable en las regiones censuales estadounidenses explican las diferencias en la participación en programas de asistencia social y en los resultados para la mano de obra. Encontramos escasa evidencia de diferencias en comportamiento entre regiones con respecto a políticas de programas de asistencia social. Este hallazgo pone en duda parte del argumento de eficacia de la devolución a los estados de la competencia en programas de asistencia social. También hallamos evidencia de que la participación en programas de asistencia social todavía reduce la oferta de mano de obra en algunas regiones. Dicho hallazgo apoya el argumento del incentivo en la imposición de obligación de trabajar.

Suggested Citation

  • Sonya Kostova Huffman & Maureen Kilkenny, 2007. "Regional welfare program and labour force participation," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 86(2), pages 215-239, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:presci:v:86:y:2007:i:2:p:215-239
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1435-5957.2007.00120.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1435-5957.2007.00120.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1435-5957.2007.00120.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert F. Schoeni & Rebecca M. Blank, 2000. "What has Welfare Reform Accomplished? Impacts on Welfare Participation, Employment, Income, Poverty, and Family Structure," NBER Working Papers 7627, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. W. Michael Cox & Jason L. Saving, 2000. "Some pleasant economic side effects," Southwest Economy, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, issue Jul, pages 7-9.
    3. Jeffrey Grogger, 2004. "Time Limits and Welfare Use," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 39(2).
    4. Moffitt, Robert A., 2002. "Welfare programs and labor supply," Handbook of Public Economics, in: A. J. Auerbach & M. Feldstein (ed.), Handbook of Public Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 34, pages 2393-2430, Elsevier.
    5. 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.
    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. Udaya R. Wagle, 2013. "The Food Stamps Program and Economic Security Among Low‐Income Families, Part II: The Effects of Labor and Income," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 5(2), pages 162-179, June.
    2. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Vassilis Tselios, 2012. "Welfare Regimes and the Incentives to Work and Get Educated," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(1), pages 125-149, January.
    3. Udaya R. Wagle, 2012. "The Food Stamps Program and Economic Security Among Low‐Income Families, Part I," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 4(4), pages 223-238, December.
    4. Ruth Uwaifo Oyelere & Maharouf Oyolola, 2011. "Do Immigrant Groups Differ in Welfare Usage? Evidence from the U.S," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 39(3), pages 231-247, September.
    5. Gorton, Matthew & Sauer, Johannes & Supatpongkul, Pajaree, 2009. "Investigating Thai Shopping Behavior: Wet-Markets, Supermarkets and the ‘Big Middle’," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 50332, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. Uwaifo Oyelere, Ruth & Oyolola, Maharouf, 2009. "Welfare Usage in the U.S.: Does Immigrant Birthplace and Immigration Status Matter?," IZA Discussion Papers 4659, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    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. Marianne P. Bitler & Jonah B. Gelbach & Hilary W. Hoynes, 2006. "What Mean Impacts Miss: Distributional Effects of Welfare Reform Experiments," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(4), pages 988-1012, September.
    2. 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.
    3. Chris Herbst & David Stevens, 2010. "The Impact of Local Labor Market Conditions on Work and Welfare Decisions: Revisiting an Old Question Using New Data," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 29(4), pages 453-479, August.
    4. Moffitt, Robert A., 2002. "Welfare programs and labor supply," Handbook of Public Economics, in: A. J. Auerbach & M. Feldstein (ed.), Handbook of Public Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 34, pages 2393-2430, Elsevier.
    5. Rossin-Slater, Maya & Wüst, Miriam, 2018. "Parental responses to child support obligations: Evidence from administrative data," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 183-196.
    6. 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.
    7. Robert Kaestner & Sanders Korenman & June O'Neill, 2003. "Has welfare reform changed teenage behaviors?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 225-248.
    8. Robert A. Moffitt, 2003. "The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program," NBER Chapters, in: Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States, pages 291-364, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. 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.
    10. Jeffrey Grogger, 2004. "Welfare transitions in the 1990s: The economy, welfare policy, and the EITC," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(4), pages 671-695.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    13. Jeffrey Grogger, 2001. "The Effects of Time Limits and Other Policy Changes on Welfare Use, Work, and Income Among Female-Headed Families," NBER Working Papers 8153, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Rebecca M. Blank & David T. Ellwood, 2001. "The Clinton Legacy for America's Poor," NBER Working Papers 8437, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Joyce Ted & Kaestner Robert & Korenman Sanders, 2003. "Welfare Reform and Non-Marital Fertility in the 1990s: Evidence from Birth Records," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 1-36, December.
    16. Adam Looney, 2005. "The effects of welfare reform and related policies on single mothers' welfare use and employment," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2005-45, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    17. Luis Ayala & César Pérez, 2005. "Macroeconomic conditions, institutional factors and demographic structure: What causes welfare caseloads?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 18(3), pages 563-581, September.
    18. Marianne P. Bitler & Jonah B. Gelbach & Hilary W. Hoynes, 2006. "What Mean Impacts Miss: Distributional Effects of Welfare Reform Experiments," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(4), pages 988-1012, September.
    19. Corrado Andini, 2005. "Unemployment and Welfare Participation in a Structural VAR: Rethinking the 1990s in the United States (Revised)," HEW 0501005, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Rebecca M. Blank, 2001. "Declining caseloads/increased work: what can we conclude about the effects of welfare reform?," Economic Policy Review, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, issue Sep, pages 25-36.

    More about this item

    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:bla:presci:v:86:y:2007:i:2:p:215-239. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1056-8190 .

    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.