Journal of Human Resources

Aizer, Anna; Stroud, Laura; Buka, Stephen

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

<p>We study how maternal stress affects offspring outcomes. We find that in utero exposure to elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol negatively affects offspring cognition, health, and educational attainment. These findings are based on comparisons between siblings that limit variation to short-lived shocks and controls for unobserved differences between mothers that could bias estimates. Our results are consistent with recent experimental results in the neurobiological literature linking exogenous exposure to stress hormones in utero with declines in offspring cognitive, behavioral, and motor development. Moreover, we find that not only are mothers with low levels of human capital characterized by higher and more variable cortisol levels but that the negative impact of elevated cortisol on their offspring is greater. These results suggest that maternal stress may play a role in the intergenerational persistence of poverty.</p>

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

abstract: We study how maternal stress affects offspring outcomes. We find that in utero exposure to elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol negatively affects offspring cognition, health, and educational attainment. These findings are based on comparisons between siblings that limit variation to short-lived shocks and controls for unobserved differences between mothers that could bias estimates. Our results are consistent with recent experimental results in the neurobiological literature linking exogenous exposure to stress hormones in utero with declines in offspring cognitive, behavioral, and motor development. Moreover, we find that not only are mothers with low levels of human capital characterized by higher and more variable cortisol levels but that the negative impact of elevated cortisol on their offspring is greater. These results suggest that maternal stress may play a role in the intergenerational persistence of poverty.

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

abstract: We examine the immediate and longer-term mortality effects of public health insurance eligibility during childhood. Our identification exploits expansions in Medicaid eligibility that applied only to children born after September 30, 1983. This feature resulted in a large discontinuity in the cumulative years of eligibility of children at this birth date cutoff. Under the expansions, black children gained twice the years of Medicaid eligibility as white children. We find a later-life decline in the rate of disease-related mortality for black cohorts born after the cutoff. We find no evidence of a similar mortality improvement for white children.

Wherry, Laura R.; Meyer, Bruce D.

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

<p>We examine the immediate and longer-term mortality effects of public health insurance eligibility during childhood. Our identification exploits expansions in Medicaid eligibility that applied only to children born after September 30, 1983. This feature resulted in a large discontinuity in the cumulative years of eligibility of children at this birth date cutoff. Under the expansions, black children gained twice the years of Medicaid eligibility as white children. We find a later-life decline in the rate of disease-related mortality for black cohorts born after the cutoff. We find no evidence of a similar mortality improvement for white children.</p>

Schmidt, Lucie; Shore-Sheppard, Lara; Watson, Tara

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

<p>We investigate to what extent major safety-net program benefits affect food insecurity in families. We impute program eligibility and benefits in each state for 2001–2009, accounting for cross-program eligibility rules. We use simulated eligibility and benefits for a nationally representative sample as instruments for imputed eligibility and potential benefits. Among nonimmigrant, low-income, single-parent families, $1,000 in potential cash or food benefits reduces the incidence of food insecurity by 1.1 percentage points on a base of 33 percent. Cash and food both reduce food insecurity. The results highlight the importance of jointly considering a full range of safety-net programs. </p>

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

abstract: We investigate to what extent major safety-net program benefits affect food insecurity in families. We impute program eligibility and benefits in each state for 2001–2009, accounting for cross-program eligibility rules. We use simulated eligibility and benefits for a nationally representative sample as instruments for imputed eligibility and potential benefits. Among nonimmigrant, low-income, single-parent families, $1,000 in potential cash or food benefits reduces the incidence of food insecurity by 1.1 percentage points on a base of 33 percent. Cash and food both reduce food insecurity. The results highlight the importance of jointly considering a full range of safety-net programs.

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

abstract: Traditional teacher evaluation systems have come under scrutiny for not identifying, supporting, and, if necessary, removing low-performing teachers from the classroom. Leveraging the experimental rollout of a pilot evaluation system in Chicago, we find that, while there was no main effect of the pilot on teacher exit, the pilot system increased exit for low-rated and nontenured teachers. Furthermore, teachers who exited were lower performing than those who stayed and those who replaced them. These findings suggest that reformed evaluation systems can induce low-performing teachers to exit schools and may also improve the overall quality of the teacher labor force.

Sartain, Lauren; Steinberg, Matthew P.

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

<p>Traditional teacher evaluation systems have come under scrutiny for not identifying, supporting, and, if necessary, removing low-performing teachers from the classroom. Leveraging the experimental rollout of a pilot evaluation system in Chicago, we find that, while there was no main effect of the pilot on teacher exit, the pilot system increased exit for low-rated and nontenured teachers. Furthermore, teachers who exited were lower performing than those who stayed and those who replaced them. These findings suggest that reformed evaluation systems can induce low-performing teachers to exit schools and may also improve the overall quality of the teacher labor force.</p>

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

abstract: Financial literacy and cognitive capabilities are convincingly linked to the quality of financial decision-making. Yet, there is little evidence that education intended to improve financial decision-making is successful. Using plausibly exogenous variation in exposure to state-mandated personal finance and mathematics high school courses, affecting millions of students, this paper answers the question “Can high school graduation requirements impact financial outcomes?” The answer is yes, although not via traditional personal finance courses, which we find have no effect on financial outcomes. Instead, we find additional mathematics training leads to greater financial market participation, investment income, and better credit management, including fewer foreclosures.

Cole, Shawn; Paulson, Anna; Shastry, Gauri Kartini

2016 Journal of Human Resources

doi:

<p>Financial literacy and cognitive capabilities are convincingly linked to the quality of financial decision-making. Yet, there is little evidence that education intended to improve financial decision-making is successful. Using plausibly exogenous variation in exposure to state-mandated personal finance and mathematics high school courses, affecting millions of students, this paper answers the question “Can high school graduation requirements impact financial outcomes?” The answer is yes, although not via traditional personal finance courses, which we find have no effect on financial outcomes. Instead, we find additional mathematics training leads to greater financial market participation, investment income, and better credit management, including fewer foreclosures.</p>