Search Results

Author: Moffitt, Robert A.
Resulting in 14 citations.
1. Butler, J. S.
Moffitt, Robert A.
A Computationally Efficient Quadrature Procedure for the One-Factor Multinomial Probit Model
Econometrica 50,3 (May 1982): 761-764.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1913405
Cohort(s): Young Women
Publisher: Department of Economics, Northwestern University
Keyword(s): Modeling, Probit; Research Methodology

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

In this note, the authors point out that the use of Gaussian quadrature is extremely efficient and is well within the bounds of computational feasibility on modern computers. They state the nature of the integrals that need to be evaluated, provide a brief exposition of Gaussian quadrature, and provide a numerical illustration of its use in estimating a one-factor multinomial probit model.
Bibliography Citation
Butler, J. S. and Robert A. Moffitt. "A Computationally Efficient Quadrature Procedure for the One-Factor Multinomial Probit Model." Econometrica 50,3 (May 1982): 761-764.
2. Flinn, Christopher Jay
Kulka, Richard
Moffitt, Robert A.
Introduction to the Journal of Human Resources Special Issue on Data Quality
Journal of Human Resources 36,3 (Summer 2001): 413-625.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3069624
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Keyword(s): Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI); Data Quality/Consistency; Longitudinal Data Sets; Modeling; Nonresponse

A conference entitled "Data Quality Issues in Longitudinal Surveys" was held at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan on October 28-29, 1998. The papers included in this symposium are revised versions of seven of the papers that were presented. Topics discussed include reducing panel attrition and the search for effective policy instruments; an analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 recall experiment; controlling for seam problems in duration model estimates with application to the current population survey and the computer aided telephone interview/computer aided personal interview overlap survey; correcting for selective nonresponse in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth using multiple imputation; comparing data quality of fertility and first sexual intercourse histories; attrition and follow-up in the Indonesia Family Life Survey; and the quality of retrospective data, based on an examination of long-term recall in a developing country
Bibliography Citation
Flinn, Christopher Jay, Richard Kulka and Robert A. Moffitt. "Introduction to the Journal of Human Resources Special Issue on Data Quality ." Journal of Human Resources 36,3 (Summer 2001): 413-625.
3. Jovanovic, Boyan
Moffitt, Robert A.
An Estimate of a Sectoral Model of Labor Mobility
Working Paper RR# 88-32, C. V. Starr Center of Applied Economics, New York University, 1988.
Also: http://www.econ.nyu.edu/cvstarr/working/1988/RR88-32.pdf
Cohort(s): Young Men
Publisher: C. V. Starr Center of Applied Economics
Keyword(s): Industrial Sector; Mobility; Mobility, Labor Market; Wages

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This paper develops a model of sectoral labor mobility and tests its main implications. The model nests two distinct hypotheses on the origin of mobility: (a) sectoral shocks, and (b) worker-employer mismatch. The relative importance of each hypothesis is estimated; it was found that the bulk of labor mobility is caused by mismatch rather than by sectoral shift.
Bibliography Citation
Jovanovic, Boyan and Robert A. Moffitt. "An Estimate of a Sectoral Model of Labor Mobility." Working Paper RR# 88-32, C. V. Starr Center of Applied Economics, New York University, 1988.
4. Keane, Michael P.
Moffitt, Robert A.
Runkle, David
Real Wages over the Business Cycle: Estimating the Impact of Heterogeneity with Micro Data
Journal of Political Economy 96,6 (December 1988): 1232-1266.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1831950
Cohort(s): Young Men
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Keyword(s): Employment, In-School; Heterogeneity; Selectivity Bias/Selection Bias; Wages

One of the oldest questions in macroeconomics concerns the correlation between the business cycle and the real wage. The authors provide new evidence on this question by examining the possible bias that arises when: (1) workers have unobserved characteristics that affect their wages; and (2) those workers who move in and out of the workforce over the cycle have systematically different unobserved characteristics than those who stay in. The authors also distinguish between the bias that arises from those unobserved characteristics that are permanent components of wages and those which are transitory. Micro panel data from the Young Men cohort and maximum likelihood selectivity bias techniques were utilized to estimate both the extent of this selectivity-cum- aggregation bias and the true effect of the cycle on real wages. It was found that selectivity bias is present-- workers are more likely to lose employment during a recession if they have high wages, especially if they have a high transitory wage component. The primary source of this selectivity bias is a rigid-wage manufacturing sector in which those with both high permanent and transitory wages are more likely to be laid off. Overall, the effect of selectivity is to bias OLS estimates based only on workers in a procyclical direction. The results show that the true effect of the cycle on wages is still procyclical, but much smaller in magnitude than previous estimates using micro data have suggested.
Bibliography Citation
Keane, Michael P., Robert A. Moffitt and David Runkle. "Real Wages over the Business Cycle: Estimating the Impact of Heterogeneity with Micro Data." Journal of Political Economy 96,6 (December 1988): 1232-1266.
5. Moffitt, Robert A.
Effect of Welfare on Marriage and Fertility: What Do We Know and What Do We Need to Know?
Discussion Paper No. 1153-97, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, December 1997.
Also: http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/dps/pdfs/dp115397.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin - Madison
Keyword(s): Current Population Survey (CPS) / CPS-Fertility Supplement; Demography; Fertility; Longitudinal Data Sets; Marriage; Methods/Methodology; Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID); Racial Differences; Welfare

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The recent literature on the effects of welfare on marriage and fertility includes studies employing a wide variety of methodologies and data sets and covering different time periods. A majority of the studies show that welfare has a significantly negative effect on marriage or positive effect on fertility rather than none at all, and thus the current consensus is that the welfare system probably has some effect on these demographic outcomes. Considerable uncertainty surrounds this consensus because a sizable minority of the studies find no effect at all, because the magnitudes of the estimated effects vary widely, and because puzzling and unexplained differences exist across the studies by race and methodological approach. At present, and with the information provided in the studies, the source of these disparities cannot be determined. While a neutral weighing of the evidence still leads to the conclusion that the welfare system affects marriage and fertility, research needs to be conducted to resolve the conflicting findings.
Bibliography Citation
Moffitt, Robert A. "Effect of Welfare on Marriage and Fertility: What Do We Know and What Do We Need to Know?" Discussion Paper No. 1153-97, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, December 1997.
6. Moffitt, Robert A.
Experience-Based Measures of Heterogeneity in the Welfare Caseload
In: Studies of Welfare Populations: Data Collection and Research Issues. M. Ver Ploeg et al., eds. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001.
Also: http://books.nap.edu/books/0309076234/html/R1.html#pagetop
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: National Academy Press
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Job Skills; Welfare

This chapter examines data on the women on the welfare rolls and test whether their labor market skills differ in these ways. Tests for whether total-time-on is correlated with labor market skills are conducted, as well as whether the number of spells and their length is related to labor market skill on top of the total time-on. The characteristics of long-termers, short-termers, and cyclers are examined to determine if their labor market skills are ordered in the ranking suggested by the simple theory just described, or not. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey over the 1979-96 period, covering monthly AFDC participation experiences, are used for the analysis.
Bibliography Citation
Moffitt, Robert A. "Experience-Based Measures of Heterogeneity in the Welfare Caseload" In: Studies of Welfare Populations: Data Collection and Research Issues. M. Ver Ploeg et al., eds. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001.
7. Moffitt, Robert A.
Profiles of Fertility, Labour Supply, and Wages of Married Women: A Complete Life-Cycle Model
Review of Economic Studies 51,2 (April 1984): 263-278.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2297691
Cohort(s): Mature Women
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing, Inc. => Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Endogeneity; Fertility; Labor Supply; Life Cycle Research; Simultaneity; Wages; Wives

A complete model of female labor supply and fertility choice is constructed and estimated in this paper. The model is more complete than previous models in several respects. Labor supply and fertility are modeled as completely joint, simultaneous choices; both are modeled as sequential, life-cycle decisions, and the life-cycle path of wages is introduced explicitly, showing that time spent out of the labor market results in foregone present and future earning power. Labor supply and fertility profiles are shown to shift in response to shifts in the profile of wages. Econometrically, a full-information maximum-likelihood procedure is used which accounts for the selectivity problems present when wages are available only in periods in which a woman works, for the endogeneity of past work experience in the wage-generating function, and for simultaneous-equations bias.
Bibliography Citation
Moffitt, Robert A. "Profiles of Fertility, Labour Supply, and Wages of Married Women: A Complete Life-Cycle Model." Review of Economic Studies 51,2 (April 1984): 263-278.
8. Moffitt, Robert A.
The Estimation of a Joint Wage-Hours Labor Supply Model
Journal of Labor Economics 2,4 (October 1984): 550-566.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2534814
Cohort(s): Mature Women
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Keyword(s): Employment; Endogeneity; Labor Supply; Part-Time Work; Wages

In this paper the standard cross-sectional static model of labor supply is modified to make the wage endogenous, and a joint wage-hours model is estimated. The econometric technique addresses the nonlinearity of the budget constraint by approximating the constraint by a series of discrete points. The results show that the budget constraint is indeed nonlinear, that hours affect the wage quadratically, that true wage elasticities are lower as a result, and that the model fits the hours distribution much better than the standard Tobit model.
Bibliography Citation
Moffitt, Robert A. "The Estimation of a Joint Wage-Hours Labor Supply Model." Journal of Labor Economics 2,4 (October 1984): 550-566.
9. Moffitt, Robert A.
The Estimation of Fertility Equations on Panel Data
Journal of Human Resources 19,1 (Winter 1984): 22-34.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/145414
Cohort(s): Young Women
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Keyword(s): Childbearing; Fertility; Research Methodology

Several econometric issues in the estimation of fertility equations with panel data are addressed in this paper. The most interesting is the truncation of error term in a number-of-children equation arising from the fact that the number of children cannot fall over time. It is shown that this generates a "ratchet" mechanism under which the probability of having a child drops suddenly following a birth and then gradually rises again until another birth occurs. Estimates are provided with data from National Longitudinal Surveys Young Women's cohort.
Bibliography Citation
Moffitt, Robert A. "The Estimation of Fertility Equations on Panel Data." Journal of Human Resources 19,1 (Winter 1984): 22-34.
10. Moffitt, Robert A.
Reville, Robert T.
Winkler, Anne E.
Beyond Single Mothers: Cohabitation, Marriage, and the U.S. Welfare System
Discussion Paper No. 1068-95, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, July 1995.
Also: http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/irp/pubs/dp106895.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin - Madison
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Cohabitation; Current Population Survey (CPS) / CPS-Fertility Supplement; Household Composition; Marital Status; Marriage; Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID); Parents, Single; Welfare

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

We investigate the extent and implications of cohabitation and marriage among U.S. welfare recipients. An analysis of four data sets (the CPS, NSFH, PSID, and NLSY) shows significant numbers of cohabitors among recipients of AFDC. An even more surprising finding is the large number of married women on AFDC. We also report the results of a telephone survey of state AFDC agencies conducted to determine state rules governing cohabitation and marriage. The survey results indicate that, in a number of respects, cohabitation is encouraged by the AFDC rules. Finally, we conduct a brief analysis of the impact of AFDC rules on cohabitation, marriage, and headship, and find weak evidence in support of incentives to cohabit.
Bibliography Citation
Moffitt, Robert A., Robert T. Reville and Anne E. Winkler. "Beyond Single Mothers: Cohabitation, Marriage, and the U.S. Welfare System." Discussion Paper No. 1068-95, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, July 1995.
11. Moffitt, Robert A.
Reville, Robert T.
Winkler, Anne E.
Beyond Single Mothers: Cohabitation and Marriage in the AFDC Program
Demography 35,3 (August 1998): 259-278.
Also: http://www.springerlink.com/content/x517133085778732/
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Cohabitation; Current Population Survey (CPS) / CPS-Fertility Supplement; Household Composition; Marital Status; Marriage; Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID); Parents, Single; Welfare

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

We investigate the extent and implications of cohabitation and marriage among U.S. welfare recipients. An analysis of four data sets (the Current Population Survey, the National Survey of Families and Households, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, and the National longitudinal Survey of Youth) shows significant cant numbers of cohabitors among recipients of AFDC. An even more surprising finding is the large number of married women on welfare. We also report the results of a telephone survey of state AFDC agencies conducted to determine state rules governing cohabitation and marriage. The survey results indicate that, in a number of respects, AFDC rules encourage cohabitation. Finally, we conduct an analysis of the impact of AFDC rules on cohabitation, marriage, and single motherhood and find weak evidence in support of incentives to cohabit.
Bibliography Citation
Moffitt, Robert A., Robert T. Reville and Anne E. Winkler. "Beyond Single Mothers: Cohabitation and Marriage in the AFDC Program." Demography 35,3 (August 1998): 259-278.
12. Moffitt, Robert A.
Ver Ploeg, Michele L.
Evaluating Welfare Reform in an Era of Transition
Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001.
Also: http://books.nap.edu/books/0309072743/html/R1.html#pagetop
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: National Academy Press
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Welfare

With the passing of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, the United States embarked on a major social experiment with its social welfare and safety net programs for the poor. The most far-reaching reform of the cash welfare system for single mothers since 1935, PRWORA replaced the federal entitlement program for low-income families and children (Aid to Families with Dependent Children, AFDC) with a state-administered block grant program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Determining the consequences of this experiment is of great importance. Has welfare reform "worked?" What were the effects of the reforms on families and individuals? What reforms worked for whom and why? In looking toward the development of new policies to aid low-income families, which elements of the new welfare system need to be changed and which left as is?

For these fundamental questions to be answered adequately, two issues need to be addressed. First, how should one go about answering these questions -- what methods should be used and what types of studies should be conducted in order to determine the effects of welfare reform? Second, what types of data are needed to measure the effects of welfare reform? Are federal and state data sources currently available sufficient to carry out needed evaluations, and, if not, what investments in that infrastructure are needed?

Bibliography Citation
Moffitt, Robert A. and Michele L. Ver Ploeg. Evaluating Welfare Reform in an Era of Transition. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001..
13. Ruebeck, Christopher S.
Harrington, Joseph E., Jr.
Moffitt, Robert A.
Handedness and Earnings
NBER Working Paper No. 12387, National Bureau of Economic Research, July 2006.
Also: http://papers.nber.org/papers/w12387.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Keyword(s): Earnings; Education; Gender Differences; Handedness; Labor Market Demographics

We examine whether handedness is related to performance in the labor market and, in particular, earnings. We find a significant wage effect for left-handed men with high levels of education. This positive wage effect is strongest among those who have lower than average earnings relative to those of similar high education. This effect is not found among women.
Bibliography Citation
Ruebeck, Christopher S., Joseph E. Harrington and Robert A. Moffitt. "Handedness and Earnings." NBER Working Paper No. 12387, National Bureau of Economic Research, July 2006.
14. Ruebeck, Christopher S.
Harrington, Joseph E., Jr.
Moffitt, Robert A.
Handedness and Earnings
Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition 12,2 ( March 2007): 101-120.
Also: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13576500600992297
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Routledge ==> Taylor & Francis (1998)
Keyword(s): Earnings; Educational Attainment; Gender Differences; Handedness

We examine whether handedness is related to performance in the labour market and, in particular, to earnings. We find a significant wage effect for left-handed men with high levels of education. This positive wage effect is strongest among those who have lower than average earnings relative to those of similar high education. This effect is not found among women.
Bibliography Citation
Ruebeck, Christopher S., Joseph E. Harrington and Robert A. Moffitt. "Handedness and Earnings." Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition 12,2 ( March 2007): 101-120.