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  3. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
  4. May 2014
  5. Giving Mom a Break: The Impact of Higher EITC Payments on Maternal Health

Giving Mom a Break: The Impact of Higher EITC Payments on Maternal Health

  • William N. Evans
  • Craig L. Garthwaite
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 6, no. 2, May 2014
(pp. 258-90)
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Abstract

The 1993 expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit created the first meaningful separation in benefits between families containing two or more children and those with only one child. If income is protective of health, we should see improvements over time in the health for mothers eligible for these higher EITC benefits. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey, we find improvements in self-reported health for affected mothers. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we find reductions in the probability of having risky levels of biomarkers for these same women

Citation

Evans, William N., and Craig L. Garthwaite. 2014. "Giving Mom a Break: The Impact of Higher EITC Payments on Maternal Health." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 6 (2): 258-90. DOI: 10.1257/pol.6.2.258

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • H24 Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies; includes inheritance and gift taxes
  • I12 Health Production
  • I14 Health and Inequality
  • J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
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