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Effects Of Welfare Reform On Women'S Voting Participation

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  • Hope Corman
  • Dhaval Dave
  • Nancy E. Reichman

Abstract

Voting is an important form of civic participation in democratic societies but a fundamental right that many citizens do not exercise. This study investigates the effects of welfare reform in the U.S. in the 1990s on voting of low income women. Using the November Current Population Surveys with the added Voting and Registration Supplement for the years 1990 through 2004 and exploiting changes in welfare policy across states and over time, we estimate the causal effects of welfare reform on women's voting registration and voting participation during the period during which welfare reform unfolded. We find robust evidence that welfare reform increased the likelihood of voting by about 4 percentage points, which translates to about a 10% increase relative to the baseline mean. The effects were largely confined to Presidential elections, were stronger in Democratic than Republican states, were stronger in states with stronger work incentive policies, and appeared to operate through employment, education, and income.
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Suggested Citation

  • Hope Corman & Dhaval Dave & Nancy E. Reichman, 2017. "Effects Of Welfare Reform On Women'S Voting Participation," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(3), pages 1430-1451, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecinqu:v:55:y:2017:i:3:p:1430-1451
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/ecin.12433
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    1. Dave, Dhaval M. & Reichman, Nancy E. & Corman, Hope & Das, Dhiman, 2011. "Effects of welfare reform on vocational education and training," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 1399-1415.
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    17. Hope Corman & Dhaval M. Dave & Dhiman Das & Nancy E. Reichman, 2013. "Effects Of Welfare Reform On Illicit Drug Use Of Adult Women," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(1), pages 653-674, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Corman, Hope & Dave, Dhaval & Kalil, Ariel & Reichman, Nancy E., 2018. "Reprint of: Effects of maternal work incentives on youth crime," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 193-209.
    2. Angela Cools, 2020. "Parents, Infants, and Voter Turnout," Working Papers 20-04, Davidson College, Department of Economics.
    3. Dhaval Dave & Hope Corman & Ariel Kalil & Ofira Schwartz-Soicher & Nancy E. Reichman, 2019. "Effects of Maternal Work Incentives on Adolescent Social Behaviors," Working Papers 2019-026, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    4. Chrysanthou, Georgios Marios & Guilló, María Dolores, 2018. "The dynamics of political party support and egocentric economic evaluations: The Scottish case," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 192-213.
    5. Dhaval Dave & Hope Corman & Ariel Kalil & Ofira Schwartz‐Soicher & Nancy E. Reichman, 2021. "Intergenerational Effects Of Welfare Reform: Adolescent Delinquent And Risky Behaviors," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 59(1), pages 199-216, January.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H0 - Public Economics - - General
    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs

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