Journal of Human Resources

Hoynes, Hilary W.; Patel, Ankur J.

2018 Journal of Human Resources

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<p>ABSTRACT:</p><p>We examine the effect of the EITC on the poverty and income of single mothers with children using a quasi-experimental approach that leverages variation in generosity due to policy expansions across tax years and family sizes. We find that the income increasing effects of the EITC are concentrated between 75 and 150 percent of income-to-poverty with little effect at the lowest income levels and at levels of 250 percent of poverty and higher. We use these results to show that by failing to capture the indirect effects of the credit on earnings, static calculations of the antipoverty effects of the EITC may be underestimated by almost 50 percent.</p>

Bond, Timothy N.; Lang, Kevin

2018 Journal of Human Resources

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<p>ABSTRACT:</p><p>We measure the black–white achievement gap from kindergarten through seventh grade on an interval scale created by tying each grade–test score combination to average eventual education. After correcting for various sources of test measurement error, some of which are unique to forward-looking scales, we find no racial component in the evolution of the achievement gap through the first eight years of schooling. Further, most, if not all, of the gap can be explained by socioeconomic differences. Our results suggest that the rising racial test gap in previous studies probably reflects excessive measurement error in testing in the early grades.</p>

Avery, Christopher; Gurantz, Oded; Hurwitz, Michael; Smith, Jonathan

2018 Journal of Human Resources

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<p>ABSTRACT:</p><p>Do signals of high aptitude shape the course of collegiate study? We apply a regression discontinuity design to understand how college major choice is impacted by receiving a higher Advanced Placement (AP) integer score, despite similar exam performance, compared to students who received a lower integer score. Attaining higher scores increases the probability that a student majors in that exam subject by approximately 5 percent (0.64 percentage points), with some individual exams demonstrating increases as high as 30 percent. A substantial portion of the overall effect is driven by behavioral responses to the positive signal of receiving a higher score.</p>

Heissel, Jennifer A.; Norris, Samuel

2018 Journal of Human Resources

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<p>ABSTRACT:</p><p>We analyze the effect of school start time on academic performance. Sleep patterns are determined in part by sunrise times, which vary across time zones. Because school start times do not fully reflect this difference, we instrument for the hours of sunlight before school with the time zone boundary in Florida. We find that moving start times one hour later relative to sunrise increases test scores by 0.08 and 0.06 standard deviations for adolescents in math and reading, respectively. In math, the effect is larger for older children and co-varies with entry into an important pubertal stage. School districts can improve performance while maintaining the current distribution of start times by moving classes earlier for younger children and later for older children.</p>

Jerrim, John; Macmillan, Lindsey; Micklewright, John; Sawtell, Mary; Wiggins, Meg

2018 Journal of Human Resources

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<p>ABSTRACT:</p><p>A number of studies suggest that teaching children how to play chess may have an impact on their educational attainment. Yet the strength of this evidence is undermined by limitations with research design. This paper attempts to overcome these limitations by presenting evidence from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving more than 4,000 children in England. In contrast to much of the existing literature, we find no evidence of an effect of chess instruction on children’s mathematics, reading, or science test scores. Our results provide a timely reminder of the need for social scientists to employ robust research designs.</p>

Theoharides, Caroline

2018 Journal of Human Resources

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<p>ABSTRACT:</p><p>I estimate the effect of international migration on the human capital of children in the migrants’ origin country. Using administrative data containing all migrant departures from the Philippines, I exploit variation across provinces in destination-country demand for migrants. My estimates are at the local labor market level, allowing for spillovers to nonmigrant households. An average year-to-year percent increase in migration causes a 3.5 percent increase in secondary school enrollment. The effects are likely driven by increased income rather than an increased expected wage premium for education.</p>

Chen, Xuan; Flores, Carlos A.; Flores-Lagunes, Alfonso

2018 Journal of Human Resources

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<p>ABSTRACT:</p><p>We derive bounds on the population average treatment effect <i>(ATE)</i> and the average treatment effect on the treated <i>(ATT)</i> with an instrumental variable and employ them to evaluate the effectiveness of the Job Corps (JC) training program using data from a randomized evaluation with noncompliance. We find positive effects of JC on earnings and employment, and negative effects on public benefits dependence for eligible applicants <i>(ATE)</i> and participants <i>(ATT)</i>. Some of our results also point to positive average effects on the labor market outcomes of “never-takers” (individuals who never enroll in JC regardless of their treatment assignment).</p>

Thompson, Owen

2018 Journal of Human Resources

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<p>ABSTRACT:</p><p>This paper estimates the effect of Head Start on health, education, and labor market outcomes observed through age 48. I combine outcome data from the NLSY79 with archival records on early Head Start funding levels and for identification exploit differences across counties in the introduction timing and size of local Head Start programs. This allows me to compare the long-term outcomes of children who were too old for Head Start when the program was introduced in their county with the outcomes of children who were sufficiently young to be eligible. I find that individuals from counties that had an average-sized program when they were in Head Start’s target age range experienced a $2,199 increase in annual adult earnings, completed 0.125 additional years of education, were 4.6 percentage points less likely to have a health limitation at age 40, and overall experienced a 0.081 standard deviation improvement in a summary index of these and other outcome measures. Funding levels at ages outside of Head Start’s target range are not significantly correlated with long-term outcomes. Estimated treatment effects are largest among blacks, the children of lower-education parents, and children exposed to better funded Head Start programs—heterogeneity that is consistent with a causal program impact.</p>

2018 Journal of Human Resources

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