The long-run impact of cash transfers to poor families

A Aizer, S Eli, J Ferrie, A Lleras-Muney - American Economic Review, 2016 - aeaweb.org
American Economic Review, 2016aeaweb.org
We estimate the long-run impact of cash transfers to poor families on children's longevity,
educational attainment, nutritional status, and income in adulthood. To do so, we collected
individual-level administrative records of applicants to the Mothers' Pension program—the
first government-sponsored welfare program in the United States (1911–1935)—and
matched them to census, WWII, and death records. Male children of accepted applicants
lived one year longer than those of rejected mothers. They also obtained one-third more …
Abstract
We estimate the long-run impact of cash transfers to poor families on children's longevity, educational attainment, nutritional status, and income in adulthood. To do so, we collected individual-level administrative records of applicants to the Mothers' Pension program—the first government-sponsored welfare program in the United States (1911–1935)—and matched them to census, WWII, and death records. Male children of accepted applicants lived one year longer than those of rejected mothers. They also obtained one-third more years of schooling, were less likely to be underweight, and had higher income in adulthood than children of rejected mothers. (JEL I12, I14, I18, I32, I38, J16, N32)
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