Intergenerational Effects of Welfare Reform: Adolescent Delinquent and Risky Behaviors
47 Pages Posted: 12 Feb 2019 Last revised: 2 Apr 2023
There are 2 versions of this paper
Intergenerational Effects of Welfare Reform: Adolescent Delinquent and Risky Behaviors
Effects of Maternal Work Incentives on Adolescent Social Behaviors
Date Written: February 2019
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.
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