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The (Lack of) Anticipatory Effects of the Social Safety Net on Human Capital Investment

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  • Manasi Deshpande
  • Rebecca Dizon-Ross

Abstract

How does the expectation that a child will receive government benefits in adulthood affect parental investments in the child's human capital? Most parents whose children receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits overestimate the likelihood that their child will receive SSI benefits in adulthood. We present randomly-selected families with the predicted likelihood that their child will receive SSI benefits in adulthood. Reducing parents' expectations that children will receive benefits in adulthood does not increase investments in children's human capital. This zero effect is precisely estimated. Likely explanations include parents working more themselves, non-financial goals influencing investment, and families facing investment constraints.

Suggested Citation

  • Manasi Deshpande & Rebecca Dizon-Ross, 2023. "The (Lack of) Anticipatory Effects of the Social Safety Net on Human Capital Investment," NBER Working Papers 31512, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31512
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    Cited by:

    1. Amelia A. Hawkins & Christopher A. Hollrah & Sarah Miller & Laura R. Wherry & Gloria Aldana & Mitchell D. Wong, 2023. "The Long-Term Effects of Income for At-Risk Infants: Evidence from Supplemental Security Income," NBER Working Papers 31746, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Vod Vilfort & Whitney Zhang, 2023. "Interpreting TSLS Estimators in Information Provision Experiments," Papers 2309.04793, arXiv.org, revised Jun 2024.
    3. Ana Costa-Ramón & Ursina Schaede & Michaela Slotwinski & Anne Ardila Brenoe, 2024. "(Not) Thinking about the Future: Inattention and Maternal Labor Supply," CESifo Working Paper Series 11359, CESifo.

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    JEL classification:

    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

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