Welfare and Child Support Measures in Fragile Families Data (baseline and 1-year surveys)

Child Support Formal Child Support – 3 steps –Paternity Establishment –Obtaining an Order –Getting a Payment Informal Child Support –Between mom and dad

Formal Child Support Measures Paternity establishment –In or out of hospital Formal Agreement (order) –When and where agreement made –Amount ordered –Whether visitation is included Formal Payment –How much Arrears –How much

Informal Child Support Measures Informal Agreement –When made –How much agreed to Informal Payment –How much In-Kind Contributions from Father –How often dad buys: toys, clothes, medicine, child care items (diapers), food/formula, other things

Other CS Measures Does mom receive child support from other fathers? –How much Dad’s obligations to children from other mothers: –Does he have order –Make payments (how much) –Have arrears (how much)

Limitations of CS Measures Informal support only for those w/o orders (in 18 cities) Resident parents (in 2 cities) not asked about formal support Cannot construct month by month child support history Not sure if moms on welfare are reporting actual amount received or amount father is paying (to state)

Child Support Outcomes for Mothers w/ Nonmarital births not Cohabiting w/Father (1-year)

Welfare Receipt Measures Baseline –Public assistance/welfare/food stamp receipt in past 12 months (combined question) 1-Year Survey – TANF –Current receipt –Receipt in past 12 months # of months Amount received last month –Ever receipt (when and for how long)

Other TANF Questions Baseline: knowledge about TANF questions Required to do anything for benefits? Benefits cut off or reduced? Ever think you were eligible? Ever apply? Result of application?

Other Types of Public Assistance Baseline Survey –How paid for birth (Medicaid/private/no ins.) 1-Year Survey –Food Stamps (# of months, amount) –Medicaid –Other help (unemployment, workers comp) –SSI –Public Housing –Child Care assistance –WIC –Apply for EITC?

Limitations of TANF Measures Baseline TANF question combined w/food stamps, so can’t tell when started receiving Very difficult to construct month by month history of TANF reliance Have to assume that they received the same amount each month

Reliance on Public Assistance for Mothers w/ Nonmarital Births

Types of Questions We Can Answer The effect of Child Support/Welfare Receipt on: –Mom/dad’s labor supply –Father/child contact –Parents’ relationship –Mom’s welfare participation –Child well-being –Economic hardship –Family formation/marriage The determinants of Child Support/Welfare Receipt Explaining variation in Child Support/Welfare Receipt

TANF Reliance at 1-year by City (mothers w/nonmarital births)

Proportion of Mothers w/ Order by City (nonmarital births, not residing with father)

Use FF Measures to Construct City-Level Measures Example 1: Paternity Establishment –Construct city-level aggregate measures –Purge of city compositional differences Example 2: Welfare generosity –Construct city-level sanction measures –Use lagged measures