The Impact of Cash Transfers to Poor Mothers on Family Structure and Maternal Well-Being
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 16,
no. 2, April 2024
(pp. 492-529)
Abstract
We use newly collected data for 16,000 women who applied for Mothers' Pensions, America's first welfare program, to investigate the effect of means-tested cash transfers on lifetime family structure and maternal well-being. In the short term, cash transfers delayed marriage and lowered geographic mobility. In the long run, transfers had no impact on the probability of remarriage, spouse quality, or fertility. Cash transfers did not affect women's well-being, measured by longevity and family income in 1940. Given the lack of significant negative behavioral impacts, the benefits of transfers appear to exceed costs if they have—even modest—positive impacts on children.Citation
Aizer, Anna, Sungwoo Cho, Shari Eli, and Adriana Lleras-Muney. 2024. "The Impact of Cash Transfers to Poor Mothers on Family Structure and Maternal Well-Being." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 16 (2): 492-529. DOI: 10.1257/app.20210816Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I31 General Welfare; Well-Being
- I32 Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
- I38 Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- N32 Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: U.S.; Canada: 1913-
- R23 Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics: Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population; Neighborhood Characteristics
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