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The Effect of Family Size on Incentive Effects of Welfare Transfers in Two-Parent Families

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  • Alisa C. Lewin

    (University of Haifa, Israel, and University of Chicago, alewin@uchicago.edu)

  • Eric Maurin

    (École Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris)

Abstract

Family size is an important determinant of family well-being, and it is a good predictor of poverty. This study examines effects of waiving the 100-hour rule, by family size, and distinguishes between the “work-incentive effects†and the “eligibility effects†of the waiver. The 100-hour rule limits eligibility to aid to two-parent families in which the principal earner is unemployed or underemployed (works fewer than 100 hours per month). The study uses data from the Link-Up randomized experiment, conducted in California’s Central Valley, from 1992 to 1994. The findings show that the eligibility effect of the waiver does not differ by family size, but the work-incentive effect does.

Suggested Citation

  • Alisa C. Lewin & Eric Maurin, 2005. "The Effect of Family Size on Incentive Effects of Welfare Transfers in Two-Parent Families," Evaluation Review, , vol. 29(6), pages 507-529, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:evarev:v:29:y:2005:i:6:p:507-529
    DOI: 10.1177/0193841X05276444
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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