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Happy 18th Birthday, Now Leave: Estimating the Causal Effects of Extended Foster Care

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  • Alexa Prettyman

    (Department of Economics, Towson University)

Abstract

Over 20,000 youth age out of foster care each year in the United States and face various hardships. Exploiting plausibly exogenous policy variation, I find that exposure to extended foster care reduces homelessness and incarceration by 29 and 38 percent, respectively. Outcomes from the National Youth in Transition Database, a longitudinal survey that collects information from foster youth at ages 17, 19, and 21, are linked to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, administrative data containing information about individuals' foster care history. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that extended foster care yields a 4:1 return on investment.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexa Prettyman, 2024. "Happy 18th Birthday, Now Leave: Estimating the Causal Effects of Extended Foster Care," Working Papers 2024-02, Towson University, Department of Economics, revised Feb 2024.
    • Handle: RePEc:tow:wpaper:2024-02
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Foster youth; Extended foster care; Transition to adulthood.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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