Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/35803 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 4095
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We analyze the effect of growing up on welfare on young people's involvement in a variety of social and health risks. Young people in welfare families are much more likely to take both social and health risks. Much of the apparent link between family welfare history and risk taking disappears, however, once we account for family structure and mothers' decisions regarding their own risk taking and investment in their children. Interestingly, we find no significant effect of socio-economic status per se. Overall, we find no evidence that growing up on welfare causes young people to engage in risky behavior.
Subjects: 
Youths
welfare
risky behavior
socio-economic disadvantage
JEL: 
J13
I38
J18
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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