Effects of Welfare Reform on Vocational Education and Training

37 Pages Posted: 10 Jan 2011 Last revised: 8 Jan 2023

See all articles by Dhaval Dave

Dhaval Dave

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - NY Office; Bentley University - Department of Economics

Nancy E. Reichman

Rutgers University, New Brunswick - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Hope Corman

Rider University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Dhiman Das

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: January 2011

Abstract

Exploiting variation in welfare reform across states and over time and using relevant comparison groups, this study estimates the effects of welfare reform on an important source of human capital acquisition among women at risk for relying on welfare: vocational education and training. The results indicate that welfare reform reduced enrollment in full-time vocational education and had no significant effects on part-time vocational education or participation in other types of work-related courses, though there is considerable heterogeneity across states with respect to the strictness of educational policy and the strength of work incentives under welfare reform. In addition, we find heterogeneous effects by prior educational attainment. We find no evidence that the previously-observed negative effects of welfare reform on formal education (including college enrollment), which we replicated in this study, have been offset by increases in vocational education and training.

Suggested Citation

Dave, Dhaval and Dave, Dhaval and Reichman, Nancy E. and Corman, Hope and Das, Dhiman, Effects of Welfare Reform on Vocational Education and Training (January 2011). NBER Working Paper No. w16659, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1736864

Dhaval Dave (Contact Author)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - NY Office

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Bentley University - Department of Economics ( email )

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Nancy E. Reichman

Rutgers University, New Brunswick - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School ( email )

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Hope Corman

Rider University ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Dhiman Das

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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