abstract: 'We examine the effects of single mothers'' welfare use and employment

  decisions on children''s short-run cognitive development, as measured by

  their preschool standardized math test scores. We control for three

  mechanisms through which these decisions might affect children''s

  outcomes: direct monetary benefits, parental time invested in the child,

  and nonpecuniary benefits from in-kind transfer programs such as

  Medicaid. We employ a correction function approach and control for

  state-fixed effects to address the endogenous nature of welfare

  participation and employment decisions. Our estimates suggest that

  although each additional quarter of either mother''s employment or

  welfare use results in only a small increase in a child''s standardized

  math test score, the total effects after several quarters are sizable.

  We allow mothers'' decisions to have varying effects on attainment by

  children''s observed innate ability and by the intensity of welfare use

  and employment. A child who has the mean level of observed innate

  ability with a mother who simultaneously worked and used welfare in all

  20 quarters after childbirth experiences an 8.25 standardized-point

  increase in standardized scores. The positive impact is more pronounced

  for the more disadvantaged children, who tend to be born to mothers with

  low Armed Forces Qualification Test scores, or have lower birth weights.

  We also examine the effects using timing of employment and welfare use,

  as well as children''s maturity and gender. (JEL I3, J13, J22)'
affiliation: 'Chyi, H (Corresponding Author), Renmin Univ China, Hanqing Adv Inst
  Econ \& Finance, Beijing, Peoples R China.

  Chyi, Hau, Renmin Univ China, Hanqing Adv Inst Econ \& Finance, Beijing, Peoples
  R China.

  Chyi, Hau, Renmin Univ China, Sch Econ, Beijing, Peoples R China.

  Ozturk, Orgul Demet, Univ S Carolina, Dept Econ, Moore Sch Business, Columbia, SC
  29208 USA.'
author: Chyi, Hau and Ozturk, Orgul Demet
author-email: 'hauchyi@gmail.com

  odozturk@moore.sc.edu'
author_list:
- family: Chyi
  given: Hau
- family: Ozturk
  given: Orgul Demet
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1111/j.1465-7295.2012.00466.x
eissn: 1465-7295
files: []
issn: 0095-2583
journal: ECONOMIC INQUIRY
keywords-plus: 'MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT; EFFECTS CONSISTENT; CARE CHOICES; HEAD-START;

  MODEL; ACHIEVEMENT; WORK; EITC'
language: English
month: JAN
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '35'
pages: 675-706
papis_id: f2fa5ab1577febe055d748b5d06f0bdc
ref: Chyi2013effectssingle
researcherid-numbers: Ozturk, Orgul/ACY-8203-2022
times-cited: '5'
title: THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE MOTHERS' WELFARE USE AND EMPLOYMENT DECISIONS ON CHILDREN'S
  COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000311697500039
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '17'
volume: '51'
web-of-science-categories: Economics
year: '2013'