IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ubc/clssrn/clsrn_admin-2009-35.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Assessing the Impact of a Wage Subsidy for Single Parents on Social Assistance

Author

Listed:
  • Lacroix, Guy

Abstract

In 2002 the Quebec government implemented the "Action Emploi" (AE) program aimed at making work pay for long-term social assistance recipients (SA). AE o ered a generous wage subsidy that could last up to three years to recipients who found a full-time job within twelve months. The program was implemented on an experimental basis for a single year. Based on little empirical evidence, a slightly modi ed version of the program was implemented on permanent basis in May 2008. The paper investigates the impact of the temporary program by focusing on the labour market transitions of the targeted population starting one year before the implementation of the program and up until the end of 2005. We use a multi-state multi-episode model. The endogeneity of the participation status is accounted for by treating AE as a distinct state and by allowing correlated unobserved factors to a ect the transitions. The model is estimated by the method of simulated moments. Our results show that AE has indeed increased the duration of O -SA spells and decreased the duration of SA spells slightly. There is also some evidence that the response to the program varies considerably with unobserved individual characteristics.

Suggested Citation

  • Lacroix, Guy, 2009. "Assessing the Impact of a Wage Subsidy for Single Parents on Social Assistance," CLSSRN working papers clsrn_admin-2009-35, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 22 Jun 2009.
    • Handle: RePEc:ubc:clssrn:clsrn_admin-2009-35
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.clsrn.econ.ubc.ca/workingpapers/CLSRN%20Working%20Paper%20no.%2026%20-%20Guy%20Lacroix.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. van den Berg, Gerard J., 1997. "Association measures for durations in bivariate hazard rate models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 79(2), pages 221-245, August.
    2. Fortin, Bernard & Lacroix, Guy & Drolet, Simon, 2004. "Welfare benefits and the duration of welfare spells: evidence from a natural experiment in Canada," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(7-8), pages 1495-1520, July.
    3. Heckman, James & Singer, Burton, 1984. "A Method for Minimizing the Impact of Distributional Assumptions in Econometric Models for Duration Data," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(2), pages 271-320, March.
    4. Doiron, Denise & Gørgens, Tue, 2008. "State dependence in youth labor market experiences, and the evaluation of policy interventions," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 145(1-2), pages 81-97, July.
    5. Jeffrey Smith & Jeremy Lise & Shannon N. Seitz, 2003. "Equilibrium Policy Experiments And The Evaluation Of Social Programs," Working Paper 1012, Economics Department, Queen's University.
    6. Liliane Bonnal & Denis Fougère & Anne Sérandon, 1997. "Evaluating the Impact of French Employment Policies on Individual Labour Market Histories," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 64(4), pages 683-713.
    7. Ham, John C & Rea, Samuel A, Jr, 1987. "Unemployment Insurance and Male Unemployment Duration in Canada," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 5(3), pages 325-353, July.
    8. Gritz, R. Mark, 1993. "The impact of training on the frequency and duration of employment," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 57(1-3), pages 21-51.
    9. Harknett, K. & Gennetian, L.A., 2001. "How an Earnings Supplement Can Affect the Marital Behaviour of welfare Recipients: Evidence from the Self-Sufficiency Project," Papers 2001-4, Gouvernement du Canada - Human Resources Development.
    10. Brouillette, Dany & Lacroix, Guy, 2010. "Heterogeneous treatment and self-selection in a wage subsidy experiment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(7-8), pages 479-492, August.
    11. Lucie Gilbert & Thierry Kamionka & Guy Lacroix, 2001. "Les effets des dispositifs publics d'insertion en emploi destinés aux jeunes hommes défavorisés au Québec," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 345(1), pages 55-94.
    12. Laroque, Guy & Salanie, B, 1993. "Simulation-Based Estimation of Models with Lagged Latent Variables," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 8(S), pages 119-133, Suppl. De.
    13. Ham, John C & LaLonde, Robert J, 1996. "The Effect of Sample Selection and Initial Conditions in Duration Models: Evidence from Experimental Data on Training," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(1), pages 175-205, January.
    14. Horny, Guillaume & Picchio, Matteo, 2010. "Identification of lagged duration dependence in multiple-spell competing risks models," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 106(3), pages 241-243, March.
    15. Eberwein, Curtis & Ham, John C. & LaLonde, Robert J., 2002. "Alternative methods of estimating program effects in event history models," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 249-278, April.
    16. Thierry Kamionka, 1998. "Simulated maximum likelihood estimation in transition models," Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 1(Conferenc), pages 129-153.
    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. Rainer Eppel & Helmut Mahringer, 2013. "Do Wage Subsidies Work in Boosting Economic Inclusion? Evidence on Effect Heterogeneity in Austria," WIFO Working Papers 456, WIFO.
    2. Tue Gørgens & Dean Robert Hyslop, 2018. "The Specification of Dynamic Discrete-Time Two-State Panel Data Models," Econometrics, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 7(1), pages 1-16, December.
    3. Nicholas-James Clavet & Jean-Yves Duclos & Guy Lacroix, 2013. "Fighting Poverty: Assessing the Effect of Guaranteed Minimum Income Proposals in Quebec," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 39(4), pages 491-516, December.
    4. Rainer Eppel & Helmut Mahringer, 2012. "Do wage subsidies work in boosting economic inclusion? Evidence on e," EcoMod2012 4065, EcoMod.
    5. Fanny Moffette & Dorothée Boccanfuso & Patrick Richard & Luc Savard, 2013. "Estimating the Impact of the Québec’s Work Incentive Program on Labour Supply: An Ex Post Microsimulation Analysis," Cahiers de recherche 13-01, Departement d'Economique de l'École de gestion à l'Université de Sherbrooke.

    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. Lacroix, G & Brouard M-E, 2011. "Work Absenteeism Due to a Chronic Disease," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 11/15, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    2. Konstantinos Tatsiramos, 2009. "Unemployment Insurance in Europe: Unemployment Duration and Subsequent Employment Stability," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 7(6), pages 1225-1260, December.
    3. Van den Berg, Gerard J., 2001. "Duration models: specification, identification and multiple durations," Handbook of Econometrics, in: J.J. Heckman & E.E. Leamer (ed.), Handbook of Econometrics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 55, pages 3381-3460, Elsevier.
    4. Tue Gorgens & Sanghyeok Lee, 2017. "Estimation of dynamic models of recurring events with censored data," ANU Working Papers in Economics and Econometrics 2017-655, Australian National University, College of Business and Economics, School of Economics.
    5. Patrick Arni & Rafael Lalive & Jan C. Van Ours, 2013. "How Effective Are Unemployment Benefit Sanctions? Looking Beyond Unemployment Exit," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(7), pages 1153-1178, November.
    6. Picchio, Matteo & van Ours, Jan C., 2013. "Retaining through training even for older workers," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 29-48.
    7. Dorsett, Richard & Lucchino, Paolo, 2018. "Young people's labour market transitions: The role of early experiences," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 29-46.
    8. Bart Cockx & Matteo Picchio, 2012. "Are Short-lived Jobs Stepping Stones to Long-Lasting Jobs?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 74(5), pages 646-675, October.
    9. Heckman, James J. & Lalonde, Robert J. & Smith, Jeffrey A., 1999. "The economics and econometrics of active labor market programs," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 31, pages 1865-2097, Elsevier.
    10. Doiron, Denise & Gørgens, Tue, 2008. "State dependence in youth labor market experiences, and the evaluation of policy interventions," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 145(1-2), pages 81-97, July.
    11. Aderonke Osikominu, 2013. "Quick Job Entry or Long-Term Human Capital Development? The Dynamic Effects of Alternative Training Schemes," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 80(1), pages 313-342.
    12. Jurajda, Stepan, 2002. "Estimating the effect of unemployment insurance compensation on the labor market histories of displaced workers," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 227-252, June.
    13. Rebollo-Sanz, Yolanda Fatima & Rodríguez-Planas, Núria, 2016. "When the Going Gets Tough... Financial Incentives, Duration of Unemployment and Job-Match Quality," IZA Discussion Papers 10044, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Bruno Crépon & Muriel Dejemeppe & Marc Gurgand, 2005. "Counseling the unemployed: does it lower unemployment duration and recurrence?," Working Papers halshs-00590769, HAL.
    15. Gaure, Simen & Roed, Knut & Zhang, Tao, 2007. "Time and causality: A Monte Carlo assessment of the timing-of-events approach," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 1159-1195, December.
    16. Gerard J. van den Berg & Bas van der Klaauw & Jan C. van Ours, 2004. "Punitive Sanctions and the Transition Rate from Welfare to Work," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 22(1), pages 211-241, January.
    17. Bart Cockx & Matteo Picchio, 2013. "Scarring effects of remaining unemployed for long-term unemployed school-leavers," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 176(4), pages 951-980, October.
    18. Wiljan van den Berge, 2016. "How do severance pay and job search assistance jointly affect unemployment duration and job quality?," CPB Discussion Paper 334.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    19. Vikström, Johan & Ridder, Geert & Weidner, Martin, 2018. "Bounds on treatment effects on transitions," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 205(2), pages 448-469.
    20. Charles Baum, 2012. "The effects of food stamp receipt on weight gained by expectant mothers," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 25(4), pages 1307-1340, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Wage subsidy; multi-state multi-episode transition model; social assistance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

    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:ubc:clssrn:clsrn_admin-2009-35. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Vivian Tran) The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask Vivian Tran to update the entry or send us the correct email address. General contact details of provider: http://www.clsrn.econ.ubc.ca/ .

    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 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.

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

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.