Abstract
We investigate the impact of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansions on the smoking behavior of women. The differential increases in federal EITC benefits by family size as part of the 1993 OBRA expansion allow for a comparison of smoking status changes between women with and without children and between mothers with one and more than one child. We exploit these changes in a difference-in-differences framework using data from the 1993-2001 waves of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to show that the increase in EITC benefits yielded a significant decline in the likelihood of smoking among unmarried women with less than a college degree. These results are also robust to an alternative measure of EITC expansion, specifically the maximum state-level EITC benefit (in dollars), which varies across states and over the full course of the sample time frame.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
