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Welfare, work experience, and economic self-sufficiency

Author

Listed:
  • Susanna Loeb

    (Stanford University, Stanford, California)

  • Mary Corcoran

    (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Abstract

The potential of former AFDC recipients to earn a living wage is central to the success of welfare-to-work programs. Previous studies have found that welfare recipihyphen;ents see little increase in their wages over time. Low wage growth could arise from either low returns to work experience or low levels of experience. This distinction is important for designing effective welfare policy. In the following paper, we estimate how wages grew with work experience between 1978 and 1992 for a national sample of women from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. We compare women who never received welfare with both short- and long-term recipients in order to see to what extent the rates of wage growth with work experience differ. We find that they differ very little. We use numerous specification checks to test the robustness of our results and find consistent evidence that the wages of AFDC recipients grew at a rate similar to those of nonrecipients once work experience is taken into account. © 2001 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Suggested Citation

  • Susanna Loeb & Mary Corcoran, 2001. "Welfare, work experience, and economic self-sufficiency," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(1), pages 1-20.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:20:y:2001:i:1:p:1-20
    DOI: 10.1002/1520-6688(200124)20:1<1::AID-PAM1001>3.0.CO;2-I
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gronau, Reuben, 1988. "Sex-Related Wage Differentials and Women's Interrupted Labor Careers--The Chicken or the Egg," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 6(3), pages 277-301, July.
    2. Mary Corcoran & Greg J. Duncan, 1979. "Work History, Labor Force Attachment, and Earnings Differences between the Races and Sexes," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 14(1), pages 3-20.
    3. Maria Cancian & Robert Haveman & Thomas Kaplan & Daniel Meyer, 1999. "Work, Earnings, and Well-Being after Welfare: What Do We Know?," JCPR Working Papers 73, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    4. Jacob Mincer & Haim Ofek, 1982. "Interrupted Work Careers: Depreciation and Restoration of Human Capital," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 17(1), pages 3-24.
    5. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    6. Loprest, Pamela J, 1992. "Gender Differences in Wage Growth and Job Mobility," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(2), pages 526-532, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hanming Fang & Dan Silverman, 2009. "Time-Inconsistency And Welfare Program Participation: Evidence From The Nlsy," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 50(4), pages 1043-1077, November.
    2. Eamon, Mary Keegan & Wu, Chi-Fang, 2011. "Effects of unemployment and underemployment on material hardship in single-mother families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 233-241, February.
    3. Denton R. Vaughan & Barbara A. Haley & Aref N. Dajani, 2021. "Ten years later: Self‐sufficiency of welfare mothers before the Great Recession," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(2), pages 184-223, June.
    4. Marilyn Lucas & Charles Nicholson, 2003. "Subsidized vehicle acquisition and earned income in the transition from welfare to work," Transportation, Springer, vol. 30(4), pages 483-501, November.
    5. Jill Fitzpatrick & Julie L. Hotchkiss, 2009. "Job Separation Outcomes Of Welfare Hires: Insight From Linked Personnel And State Administrative Data," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 27(2), pages 137-146, April.
    6. repec:ces:ifodic:v:3:y:2005:i:2:p:14567644 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Wu, Chi-Fang & Eamon, Mary Keegan, 2010. "Need for and barriers to accessing public benefits among low-income families with children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 58-66, January.
    8. Denton R. Vaughan & Barbara A. Haley & Aref N. Dajani, 2020. "Trends Over Time in Employment for Mothers Who Received Welfare Benefits in 1996," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(3), pages 271-303, September.
    9. Jeffrey Grogger & Lynn A. Karoly, 2005. "Welfare Reform, Work and Wages: A Summary of the US Experience," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 3(02), pages 08-12, July.
    10. Fang, Hanming & Silverman, Dan, 2004. "On the compassion of time-limited welfare programs," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(7-8), pages 1445-1470, July.
    11. Glaser, Darrell & Rahman, Ahmed, 2015. "Human Capital on the High Seas - Job Mobility and Returns to Technical Skill During Industrialization," MPRA Paper 68351, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Wu, Chi-Fang, 2011. "Long-term employment and earnings among low-income families with children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 91-101, January.

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