Supplemental Security Income and Child Outcomes: Evidence from Birth Weight Eligibility Cutoffs

Melanie Guldi, Amelia Hawkins, Jeffrey Hemmeter and Lucie Schmidt

No 24913, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Low birth weight infants born to mothers with low educational attainment have a double hurdle to overcome in the production of human capital. We examine whether income transfers in the form of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for children with disabilities can help close the gap in outcomes due to this initial health and environmental disadvantage. We exploit a discontinuity in SSI eligibility at 1200 grams and use a regression discontinuity approach to produce causal estimates of the effects of SSI eligibility. We find that eligibility increases disability benefit participation, improves child outcomes and parenting behaviors, and shifts maternal labor supply from full to part time.

JEL-codes: H51 H53 I38 J21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-lma
Note: CH EH LS PE
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Working Paper: Supplemental Security Income and Child Outcomes: Evidence from Birth Weight Eligibility Cutoffs (2018)
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