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

Melanie Guldi, Amelia Hawkins, Jeffrey Hemmeter and Lucie Schmidt
Additional contact information
Amelia Hawkins: University of Michigan
Jeffrey Hemmeter: Office of Research, Demonstration, and Employment, Social Security Administration

No 2018-12, Department of Economics Working Papers from Department of Economics, Williams College

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)
Pages: 54 pages
Date: 2018-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea
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Working Paper: Supplemental Security Income and Child Outcomes: Evidence from Birth Weight Eligibility Cutoffs (2018)
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