As highlighted in Moffitt (1998), many studies over the last ten years have examined the effects of programs like AFDC, Medicaid, and food stamps on family structure and children’s well-being. These studies have been motivated by a growing concern that public assistance programs con- tributed to the rise in out-of-wedlock childbearing and female headship, two behaviors associated with the incidence of poverty, especially among children. Until very recently, however, little attention has been paid to the effects of the EITC expansions on these behaviors. We discuss recent EITC-related studies of this issue. We also discuss recent studies of the EITC’s effect on consumption patterns of the poor. Because the.
