Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/20094 
Year of Publication: 
2003
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 851
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Instrumental Variables (IV) methods identify internally valid causal effects for individuals whose treatment status is manipulable by the instrument at hand. Inference for other populations requires homogeneity assumptions. This paper outlines a theoretical framework that nests causal homogeneity assumptions. These ideas are illustrated using sibling-sex composition to estimate the effect of child-bearing on economic and marital outcomes. The application is motivated by American welfare reform. The empirical results generally support the notion of reduced labor supply and increased poverty as a consequence of childbearing, but evidence on the impact of childbearing on marital stability and welfare use is more tenuous.
Subjects: 
instrumental variables
marital stability
welfare
causal effects
JEL: 
J12
J13
C31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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