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Heterogeneous treatment and self-selection in a wage subsidy experiment

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  • Brouillette, Dany
  • Lacroix, Guy
Abstract
The Self-Sufficiency Project (SSP) is a research and demonstration project that offered a generous time-limited income supplement to randomly selected welfare applicants under two conditions. The first, the eligibility condition, required that they remain on welfare for at least 12Â months. The second, the qualification condition, required that they find a full-time job within 12Â months after establishing eligibility. In this paper we focus on a neglected and important feature of the program, namely that the financial reward for becoming qualified is inversely related to the expected wage rate. Under very simple assumptions we show that those who have a low expected wage rate have a clear incentive to establish eligibility. Empirical non-parametric evidence strongly suggests that individuals self-select into eligibility. We jointly estimate a participation equation and a wage equation that are correlated through individual random effects. Our results show that the omission of self-selectivity into qualification translates into slightly underestimated treatment effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Brouillette, Dany & Lacroix, Guy, 2010. "Heterogeneous treatment and self-selection in a wage subsidy experiment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(7-8), pages 479-492, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:94:y:2010:i:7-8:p:479-492
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    1. Card, David & Robins, Philip K., 2005. "How important are "entry effects" in financial incentive programs for welfare recipients? Experimental evidence from the Self-Sufficiency Project," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 125(1-2), pages 113-139.
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    Cited by:

    1. Guy Lacroix & Dany Brouillette, 2011. "Assessing the impact of a wage subsidy for single parents on social assistance," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 44(4), pages 1195-1221, November.
    2. Lacroix, G & Brouard M-E, 2011. "Work Absenteeism Due to a Chronic Disease," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 11/15, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    3. Nicholas-James Clavet & Jean-Yves Duclos & Guy Lacroix, 2013. "Fighting Poverty: Assessing the Effect of Guaranteed Minimum Income Proposals in Quebec," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 39(4), pages 491-516, December.
    4. Stephan, Gesine & van den Berg, Gerard & Homrighausen, Pia, 2016. "Randomizing information on a targeted wage support program for older workers: A field experiment," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145487, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    SSP Applicant Study Heterogeneous treatment Self-selection;

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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