Discouraging Disadvantaged Fathers’ Employment

An Unintended Consequence of Policies Designed to Support Families

Dados Bibliográficos

ID11680709
AutoresMaria Cancian (0000-0001-5308-8294, University of Wisconsin–Madison, autor correspondente), Carolyn J Heinrich (0000-0002-7731-9138), Yiyoon Chung (0000-0001-5930-5202, University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Ano2013
Volume32
Fascículo4
Páginas758-784
Data de publicação2013-06-24
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Policy Analysis and Management (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0276-8739 • E-ISSN: 1520-6688
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/pam.21707
OpenAlexW1928896860
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas34
Referências citadas26

Substantial declines in employment and earnings among disadvantaged men may be exacerbated by child support enforcement policies that are designed to help support families but may have the unintended consequence of discouraging fathers’ employment. Disentangling causal effects is challenging because high child support debt may be both a cause and a consequence of unemployment and low child support order compliance. We used childbirth costs charged in unmarried mothers’ Medicaid‐covered childbirths, from Wisconsin administrative records, as an exogenous source of variation to identify the impact of debt. We found that greater debt has a substantial negative effect on fathers’ formal employment and child support payments, and that this effect is mediated by fathers’ prebirth earnings histories

Business · Child support · Childbirth · Debt · Demographic economics · Disadvantaged · Earnings · Economic growth · Economics · Enforcement · Income Support · Labour economics · Political science · Poverty · Pregnancy · Survey of Income and Program Participation · Unemployment · Unintended consequences · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Finance