Regression Discontinuity Framework Research Articles

Preschoolers Enrolled and Mothers at Work? The Effects of Universal Prekindergarten

Three states recently introduced universal prekindergarten programs offering free preschool to all age‐eligible children; policy makers in many other states are promoting similar programs. Using restricted‐access data from the Census, together with birthday‐based eligibility cutoffs, I employ a regression discontinuity framework to estimate the effects of universal pre‐K availability on overall preschool enrollment and maternal labor supply. Universal pre‐K availability increases statewide preschool enrollment by about 14% but has little effect on the labor supply of most women.

Preschoolers Enrolled and Mothers at Work? The Effects of Universal Pre-Kindergarten

Three states (Georgia, Oklahoma and Florida) recently introduced Universal Pre-Kindergarten (Universal Pre-K) programs offering free preschool to all age-eligible children, and policy makers in many other states are promoting similar policies. How do such policies affect the participation of children in preschool programs (or do they merely substitute for preschool offered by the market)? Does the implicit child care subsidy afforded by Universal Pre-K change maternal labor supply? I present a model that includes preferences for child quality and shows the directions of change in preschool enrollment and maternal labor supply in response to Universal Pre-K programs are theoretically ambiguous. Using restricted-access data from the Census, together with year and birthday based eligibility cutoffs, I employ a regression discontinuity framework to estimate the effects of Universal Pre-K availability. Universal Pre-K availability increases preschool enrollment by 12 to 15 percent, with the largest effect on children of women with less than a Bachelor's Degree. Universal Pre-K availability has little effect on the labor supply of most women. However, women residing in rural areas in Georgia increase their children’s preschool enrollment and their own employment by 22 and 20 percent, respectively, when Universal Pre-K is available.

Unemployment Benefits, Unemployment Duration, and Post-Unemployment Jobs: A Regression Discontinuity Approach

Structural unemployment appears to be strongly correlated with the potential duration of unemployment across Organization for Eco­ nomic Co­operation and Development (OECD) countries (Stephen Nickell and Richard Layard 1999). The idea is that extended benefit duration discourages searching for a job and thus leads to prolonged unemployment. In this paper, I propose testing this idea by studying discontinuous changes in benefit dura­ tion at the age of 50, which are embedded in the Austrian unemployment insurance system. In particular, job seekers who become unem­ ployed at 50 years of age or older and satisfy a previous work requirement are eligible for 52 weeks of extended benefits rather than 39 weeks. Moreover, due to special restructuring demands in the state­owned steel sector, Austria temporarily implemented a regional extended benefit program (REBP) covering job seekers who enter unemployment at 50 years of age or older, who had been living in certain regions of Austria for at least six months, and who satisfy a previous work requirement. Those individuals were eligible for 209 weeks of benefits instead of 39 weeks. Austrian unemployment insurance rules create a rich design allowing us to study the effects of small increases in benefits by 13 weeks (39 to 52 weeks) in regions that were excluded from the extended benefit program and large benefit extensions by 170 weeks (39 weeks to 209 weeks) in regions with access to the extended benefit program. Because these benefit entitlement rules were discontinuous in age, the corresponding causal effects can be identified in a regression discontinuity framework. This paper contributes to two strands of the literature. The first strand is concerned with measuring the effects of potential benefit dura­ tion on unemployment duration. Recent con­ tributions to this literature include David Card Unemployment Benefits, Unemployment Duration, and Post-Unemployment Jobs: A Regression Discontinuity Approach