Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Ahead of print
    • Archive
    • Supplementary Material
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
    • Request JHR at your library
  • Alerts
  • Call for Editor
  • Free Issue
  • Special Issue
  • Other Publications
    • UWP

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Human Resources
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Human Resources

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Ahead of print
    • Archive
    • Supplementary Material
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
    • Request JHR at your library
  • Alerts
  • Call for Editor
  • Free Issue
  • Special Issue
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
  • Follow JHR on Bluesky
Research ArticleArticles

The Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty and Public Assistance

Evidence from the Earned Income Tax Credit

Nicardo McInnis, Katherine Michelmore and Natasha Pilkauskas
Published online before print March 06, 2024, 0422-12241R2; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0422-12241R2
Nicardo McInnis
Nicardo McInnis is a researcher at Mathematica ().
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: nmcinnis{at}mathematica-mpr.com
Katherine Michelmore
Katherine Michelmore is an associate professor of public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan ().
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: kmichelm{at}umich.edu
Natasha Pilkauskas
Natasha Pilkauskas is an associate professor of public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan ().
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: npilkaus{at}umich.edu
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Supplemental
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

References

    1. Agostinelli, F., and
    2. Sorrenti, G.
    (2018) Money vs. time: family income, maternal labor supply, and child development. University of Zurich, Department of Economics, Working Paper 273.
    1. Aizer, A.,
    2. Eli, S.,
    3. Ferrie, J. and
    4. Lleras-Muney, A.
    , (2016). The long-run impact of cash transfers to poor families. American Economic Review, 106(4), pp.935–71.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Aizer, A.,
    2. Hoynes, H., &
    3. Lleras-Muney, A.
    (2022). Children and the U.S. social safety net: Balancing disincentives for adults and benefits for children. NBER working paper. 29754.
    1. Akee, R.,
    2. Jones, M. R., &
    3. Simeonova, E.
    (2020). The EITC and Linking Data for Examining Multi-Generational Effects. NBER Chapters.
    1. Angrist, J.D. and
    2. Krueger, A.B.
    , 1991. Does compulsory school attendance affect schooling and earnings?. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 106(4), pp.979–1014
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Averett, S. and
    2. Wang, Y.
    , 2018. Effects of higher EITC payments on children’s health, quality of home environment, and noncognitive skills. Public Finance Review, 46(4), pp.519–557.
    OpenUrl
    1. Bailey, M.J.,
    2. Sun, S. and
    3. Timpe, B.
    , (2021). Prep School for poor kids: The long-run impacts of Head Start on Human capital and economic self-sufficiency. American Economic Review, 111 (12), pp.3963–4001.
    OpenUrl
    1. Baker, K.
    , 2008. Do cash transfer programs improve infant health: Evidence from the 1993 expansion of the earned income tax credit. manuscript, University of Notre Dame.
    1. Barr, A.,
    2. Eggleston, J. and
    3. Smith, A.A.
    , 2022. Investing in infants: The lasting effects of cash transfers to new families. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 137(4), pp.2539–2583.
    OpenUrl
    1. Barr, A., &
    2. Gibbs, C. R.
    (2022). Breaking the Cycle? Intergenerational Effects of an Antipoverty Program in Early Childhood. Journal of Political Economy, 130(12), 3253–3285.
    OpenUrl
    1. Bastian, J.E. and
    2. Jones, M.R.
    , (2021). Do EITC expansions pay for themselves? Effects on tax revenue and government transfers. Journal of Public Economics, 196, p.104355.
    OpenUrl
    1. Bastian, J. and
    2. Lochner, L.
    , 2022. The Earned Income Tax Credit and Maternal Time Use: More Time Working and Less Time with Kids?. Journal of Labor Economics, 40(3), pp.573–611.
    OpenUrl
    1. Bastian, J., &
    2. Michelmore, K.
    (2018). The long-term impact of the earned income tax credit on children’s education and employment outcomes. Journal of Labor Economics, 36(4), 1127–1163.
    OpenUrl
    1. Baughman, R. and
    2. Dickert-Conlin, S.
    , 2009. The earned income tax credit and fertility. Journal of Population Economics, 22(3), pp.537–563.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Baughman, R. A.,
    2. Duchovny, N.
    (2016). State Earned Income Tax Credits and the production of child health: Insurance coverage, utilization, and health status. National Tax Journal 69(1), 103–132.
    OpenUrl
    1. Berger, L.M.,
    2. Font, S.A.,
    3. Slack, K.S. and
    4. Waldfogel, J.
    , 2017. Income and child maltreatment in unmarried families: Evidence from the earned income tax credit. Review of Economics of the Household, 15, pp.1345–1372.
    OpenUrl
    1. Bitler, M. &
    2. Figinski, T.
    (2019). Long-Run Effects of Food Assistance: Evidence from the Food Stamp Program
    1. Bitler, M., &
    2. Hoynes, H.
    (2016). Strengthening temporary assistance for needy families. The Hamilton Project, Policy Proposal, 4.
    1. Borusyak, K. and
    2. Jaravel, X.
    , 2017. Consistency and inference in bartik research designs. Technical Report, Working paper 2017. 187 and, “Revisiting event study designs”.
    1. Boudreaux, M. H.,
    2. Golberstein, E., &
    3. McAlpine, D. D.
    (2016). The long-term impacts of Medicaid exposure in early childhood: Evidence from the program’s origin. Journal of health economics, 45, 161–175.
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Braga, B.,
    2. Blavin, F., &
    3. Gangopadhyaya, A.
    (2020). The long-term effects of childhood exposure to the earned income tax credit on health outcomes. Journal of Public Economics, 190, 104249.
    OpenUrl
    1. Brewer, M. and
    2. Hoynes, H.
    , 2019. In-Work Credits in the UK and the US. Fiscal Studies, 40(4), pp.519–560.
    OpenUrl
    1. Burgess, S.,
    2. Propper, C., &
    3. Aassve, A.
    (2003). The role of income in marriage and divorce transitions among young Americans. Journal of Population Economics, 16, 455–475.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Carneiro, P.,
    2. Løken, K. V., &
    3. Salvanes, K. G.
    (2015). A flying start? Maternity leave benefits and long-run outcomes of children. Journal of Political Economy, 123(2), 365–412.
    OpenUrl
    1. Chetty, R.,
    2. Friedman, J.N. and
    3. Rockoff, J.
    , 2011. New evidence on the long-term impacts of tax credits. In Proceedings. Annual Conference on Taxation and Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the National Tax Association (Vol. 104, pp. 116–124). National Tax Association.
    OpenUrl
    1. Chetty, R.,
    2. Hendren, N.,
    3. Kline, P.,
    4. Saez, E., &
    5. Turner, N.
    (2014). Is the United States still a land of opportunity? Recent trends in intergenerational mobility. American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings. 104(5): 141–147.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Corman, H.,
    2. Dave, D. M.,
    3. Schwartz-Soicher, O., &
    4. Reichman, N. E.
    (2021). Effects of Welfare Reform on Household Food Insecurity Across Generations. Economics & Human Biology, 101101.
    1. Crandall-Hollick, M. L.
    (2018). The earned income tax credit (EITC): A brief legislative history. Congressional Research Service, 44825.
    1. Currie, J.
    , 2009. Healthy, wealthy, and wise: Socioeconomic status, poor health in childhood, and human capital development. Journal of economic literature, 47 (1), pp.87–122.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Dahl, G.B. &
    2. Lochner, L.
    (2012). The impact of family income on child achievement: Evidence from the earned income tax credit. American Economic Review 102, 1927–1956.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Dahl, G. B., &
    2. Lochner, L.
    (2017). The impact of family income on child achievement: Evidence from the earned income tax credit: Reply. American Economic Review, 107(2), 629–31.
    OpenUrl
    1. Danzer, N.,
    2. Halla, M,
    3. Schneeweis, N., &
    4. Zweimüller, M.
    (2017). Parental leave, (in)formal childcare and long-term child outcomes, Working Papers in Economics and Statistics, No. 2017-11, University of Innsbruck, Research Platform Empirical and Experimental Economics
    1. Dave, D.,
    2. Corman, H.,
    3. Kalil, A.,
    4. Schwartz-Soicher, O., &
    5. Reichman, N. E.
    (2021). Intergenerational effects of welfare reform: Adolescent delinquent and risky behaviors. Economic Inquiry, 59(1), 199–216.
    OpenUrl
    1. Dench, D. &
    2. Joyce, T.
    , 2020. The earned income tax credit and infant health revisited. Health Economics, 29 (1), pp.72–84.
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Duncan, G. J., &
    2. Brooks-Gunn, J.
    (2000). Family poverty, welfare reform, and child development. Child Development, 71, 188–196.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Duncan, G. J.,
    2. Brooks-Gunn, J., &
    3. Klebanov, P. K.
    (1994). Economic deprivation and early childhood development. Child Development, 65, 296–318.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Duncan, G. J.,
    2. Kalil, A., &
    3. Ziol-Guest, K.
    (2008). The economic costs of early childhood poverty (Issue Paper No. 4). Washington, DC: Partnership for America’s Economic Success.
    1. Duncan, G. J.,
    2. Kalil, A., &
    3. Ziol-Guest, K. M.
    (2018). Parental income and children’s life course: Lessons from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 680(1), 82–96.
    OpenUrl
    1. Duncan, G. J.,
    2. Magnuson, K., &
    3. Votruba-Drzal, E.
    (2017). Moving beyond correlations in assessing the consequences of poverty. Annual Review of Psychology, 68, 413–434.
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Duncan, G. J.,
    2. Telle, K.,
    3. Ziol-Guest, K. M., &
    4. Kalil, A.
    (2011). Economic deprivation in early childhood and adult attainment: Comparative evidence from Norwegian registry data and the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics. In T. M. Smeeding, R. Erikson, & M. Jäntti (Eds.), Persistence, privilege, and parenting (pp. 209–236). New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
    1. East, C. N.,
    2. Miller, S.,
    3. Page, M., &
    4. Wherry, L. R.
    (2023). Multigenerational Impacts of Childhood Access to the Safety Net: Early Life Exposure to Medicaid and the Next Generation’s Health. American Economic Review, 113(1), 98–135.
    OpenUrl
    1. Eissa, N. and
    2. Liebman, J.B.
    , 1996. Labor supply response to the earned income tax credit. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 111 (2), pp.605–637.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Evans, W. N., &
    2. Garthwaite, C. L.
    (2014). Giving mom a break: The impact of higher EITC payments on maternal health. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 6(2), 258–90.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Glasner, B.,
    2. Mincy, R.,
    3. Parolin, Z., &
    4. Wimer, C.
    (2023). The effectiveness of the food stamp program at reducing racial differences in the intergenerational persistence of poverty. Washington Center for Equitable Growth working paper.
    1. Goodman-Bacon, A.
    , 2021. The long-run effects of childhood insurance coverage: Medicaid implementation, adult health, and labor market outcomes. American Economic Review, 111 (8), pp.2550–2593.
    OpenUrl
    1. Hardy, B.,
    2. Hokayem, C., &
    3. Ziliak, J. P.
    (2022). Income inequality, race, and the eitc. National Tax Journal, 75(1), 149–167.
    OpenUrl
    1. Hartley, R.,
    2. Lamarche, C., &
    3. Ziliak, J. P.
    (2017). Welfare reform and the intergenerational transmission of dependence.
    1. Herbst, C.M.
    , 2011. The impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on marriage and divorce: Evidence from flow data. Population research and Policy review, 30 (1), pp.101–128.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Hoynes, H.,
    2. Miller, D. and
    3. Simon, D.
    , 2015. Income, the earned income tax credit, and infant health. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 7(1), pp.172–211.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Hoynes, H.W. and
    2. Patel, A.J.
    , 2018. Effective policy for reducing poverty and inequality? The Earned Income Tax Credit and the distribution of income. Journal of Human Resources, 53 (4), pp.859–890.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Hoynes, H.,
    2. Schanzenbach, D. W., &
    3. Almond, D.
    (2016). Long-run impacts of childhood access to the safety net. The American Economic Review, 106, 4, 903–934.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Jones, L. E., &
    2. Michelmore, K.
    (2018). The impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on household finances. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 37(3), 521–545.
    OpenUrl
    1. Kalil, A.,
    2. Corman, H.,
    3. Dave, D.,
    4. Schwarz-Soicher, O., &
    5. Reichman, N. E.
    (2023). Welfare Reform and the Quality of Young Children’s Home Environments. Demography, 60(6), 1791–1813.
    OpenUrl
    1. Kleven, Henrik.
    The EITC and the Extensive Margin: A Reappraisal. No. w26405. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2019.
    1. Klevens, J.,
    2. Schmidt, B.,
    3. Luo, F.,
    4. Xu, L.,
    5. Ports, K.A. and
    6. Lee, R.D.
    , 2017. Effect of the earned income tax credit on hospital admissions for pediatric abusive head trauma, 1995-2013. Public Health Reports, 132(4), pp.505–511.
    OpenUrl
    1. Kuka, E. and
    2. Shenhav, N.A.
    , 2020. Long-run effects of incentivizing work after childbirth (No. w27444). National Bureau of Economic Research.
    1. Manoli, Day, and
    2. Nicholas Turner
    . “Cash-on-hand and college enrollment: Evidence from population tax data and the earned income tax credit.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 10, no. 2 (2018): 242–71.
    OpenUrl
    1. McLanahan, S.
    (2004). Diverging destinies: How children are faring under the second demographic transition. Demography, 41(4), 607–627.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Meyer, B.D.,
    2. Mok, W.K. and
    3. Sullivan, J.X.
    , 2009. The under-reporting of transfers in household surveys: its nature and consequences (No. w15181). National Bureau of Economic Research.
    1. Meyer, B. &
    2. Rosenbaum, D.T.
    (2001). Welfare, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the labor supply of single mothers. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 116, 1063–1114.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Michelmore, K.
    , 2018. The earned income tax credit and union formation: The impact of expected spouse earnings. Review of Economics of the Household, 16 (2), pp.377–406.
    OpenUrl
    1. Michelmore, K., &
    2. Lopoo, L. M.
    (2021). The Effect of EITC Exposure in Childhood on Marriage and Early Childbearing. Demography, 58(6), 2365–2394.
    OpenUrl
    1. Michelmore, K. and
    2. Pilkauskas, N.
    , 2021. Tots and teens: How does child’s age influence maternal labor supply and child care response to the earned income tax credit?. Journal of Labor Economics, 39 (4), pp.895–929.
    OpenUrl
    1. Morgan, E. R.,
    2. DeCou, C. R.,
    3. Hill, H. D.,
    4. Mooney, S. J.,
    5. Rivara, F. P., &
    6. Rowhani-Rahbar, A.
    (2021). State earned income tax credits and suicidal behavior: A repeated cross-sectional study. Preventive medicine, 145, 106403.
    OpenUrl
    1. Pilkauskas, N.V. &
    2. Michelmore, K.
    (2019) The effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit on housing and living arrangements. Demography, 56, 1303–1326.
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Rittenhouse, K.
    , 2023. Income and Child Maltreatment: Evidence from a Discontinuity in Tax Benefits. Available at SSRN 4349231.
    1. Schanzenbach, D. and
    2. Strain, M.R.
    , 2021. Employment effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit: Taking the long view. Tax policy and the economy, 35(1), pp.87–129.
    OpenUrl
    1. Schmidt, L.,
    2. Shore-Sheppard, L., &
    3. Watson, T.
    (2016). The effect of safety-net programs on food insecurity. Journal of Human Resources, 51(3), 589–614.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Schneider, D.
    (2011). Wealth and the marital divide. American Journal of Sociology, 117, 627–667.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Shaefer, H. L.,
    2. Song, X., &
    3. Shanks, T. R. W.
    (2013). Do single mothers in the United States use the Earned Income Tax Credit to reduce unsecured debt?. Review of Economics of the Household, 11(4), 659–680.
    OpenUrl
    1. Solon, G.
    (1992). Intergenerational income mobility in the United States. American Economic Review, 82, 393–408.
    OpenUrlWeb of Science
    1. Solon, G.
    (1999). Intergenerational mobility in the labor market. In O. C. Ashenfelter & D. Card (Eds.), Handbook of labor economics (pp. 1761–1800). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier.
    1. Solon, G.
    (2004). A model of intergenerational mobility variation over time and place. In M. Corak (Eds) Generational income mobility in North America and Europe, Cambridge University Press.
    1. Solon, G.,
    2. Barsky, R., &
    3. Parker, J. A.
    (1994). Measuring the cyclicality of real wages: how important is composition bias? The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 109(1), 1–25.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Smith, J.P.
    , 2009. The impact of childhood health on adult labor market outcomes. The review of economics and statistics, 91 (3), pp.478–489.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Strully, K.W.,
    2. Rehkopf, D.H. and
    3. Xuan, Z.
    , 2010. Effects of prenatal poverty on infant health: state earned income tax credits and birth weight. American sociological review, 75(4), pp.534–562.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  1. University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research. (2021, Feb.). UKCPR National Welfare Data, 1980-2019. Lexington, KY. Available at http://ukcpr.org/resources/national-welfare-data (January 3rd, 2021).
    1. Vaughn, C.
    (2018). Long-Run Impact of Welfare Reform on Educational Attainment and Family Structure. University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series, DP2018-07. University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Human Resources: 61 (1)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 61, Issue 1
1 Jan 2026
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Cover (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Human Resources.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
The Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty and Public Assistance
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Human Resources
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Human Resources web site.
Citation Tools
The Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty and Public Assistance
Nicardo McInnis, Katherine Michelmore, Natasha Pilkauskas
Journal of Human Resources Mar 2024, 0422-12241R2; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.0422-12241R2

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
The Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty and Public Assistance
Nicardo McInnis, Katherine Michelmore, Natasha Pilkauskas
Journal of Human Resources Mar 2024, 0422-12241R2; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.0422-12241R2
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Supplemental
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Minimum Wage, Employment, and Margins of Adjustment
  • Training teachers for diversity awareness
  • The Effect of Fraternity Moratoriums on Alcohol Offenses and Sexual Assaults
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • I32
  • I38
  • Earned Income Tax Credit
  • EITC
  • Poverty
  • Welfare
  • Public Assistance
  • intergenerational
UW Press logo

© 2026 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Powered by HighWire