Search Results

Author: Plotnick, Robert D.
Resulting in 25 citations.
1. Edwards, Mark Evan
Plotnick, Robert D.
Klawitter, Marieka Marjorie
Do Attitudes and Personality Characteristics Affect Socioeconomic Outcomes? The Case of Welfare Use by Young Women
Social Science Quarterly 82,4 (December 2001): 827-843.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/0038-4941.00062/abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing, Inc. => Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Attitudes; Family Background and Culture; Locus of Control (see Rotter Scale); Modeling, Logit; Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) (see Self-Esteem); Rotter Scale (see Locus of Control); Self-Esteem; Social Environment; Welfare

Objective. We estimate a model of social-psychological determinants of entry into Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the primary cash welfare program in the United States until 1996. Methods. Using information from the youngest cohorts of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we estimate logit models of the probability of ever participating in AFDC and hazard models of the timing until first use of AFDC. Results. We find strong associations between welfare use and several attitudes and personality characteristics, but with two exceptions, most of the associations are not robust to the inclusion of exogenous: background characteristics. There is consistent, strong evidence that positive attitudes toward school lower the likelihood of using welfare and increase duration until first receipt. Family background and social environment characteristics show strong robust effects. Conclusions. Our results point to relatively weak evidence for the hypothesis that individual attitudes in adolescence have a significant impact on initial welfare receipt.
Bibliography Citation
Edwards, Mark Evan, Robert D. Plotnick and Marieka Marjorie Klawitter. "Do Attitudes and Personality Characteristics Affect Socioeconomic Outcomes? The Case of Welfare Use by Young Women." Social Science Quarterly 82,4 (December 2001): 827-843.
2. Klawitter, Marieka Marjorie
Plotnick, Robert D.
Edwards, Mark Evan
Determinants of Initial Entry onto Welfare by Young Women
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 19,4 (Autumn 2000): 527-546.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1520-6688%28200023%2919:4%3C527::AID-PAM1%3E3.0.CO;2-4/abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Family Structure; First Birth; Poverty; Racial Differences; Welfare; Women

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

Using data from the youngest cohorts of women in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study constructs Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) histories starting at age 15. Most young women go on AFDC for the first time between ages 18 and 25 and do so in the first few years after the birth of their first baby. These histories are used to estimate models of the determinants of initial use of AFDC. The models provide mixed evidence that the financial or other incentives of welfare policy affect the likelihood and timing of AFDC use. Benefit levels do not seem to affect participation, but the presence of a program for medically needy families who are not on welfare appears to decrease entrance to welfare for some groups. Parental poverty, family structure, academic achievement, attitudes toward school, and race are significantly related to the likelihood of participating in AFDC, and the rate of entry. copyright: 2000 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Bibliography Citation
Klawitter, Marieka Marjorie, Robert D. Plotnick and Mark Evan Edwards. "Determinants of Initial Entry onto Welfare by Young Women." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 19,4 (Autumn 2000): 527-546.
3. Klawitter, Marieka Marjorie
Plotnick, Robert D.
Edwards, Mark Evan
Determinants of Welfare Entry and Exit by Young Women
Discussion Paper No. 1099-96, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1996.
Also: http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/dps/pdfs/dp109996.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin - Madison
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Attitudes; Educational Attainment; Family Structure; First Birth; Home Environment; Modeling; Racial Differences; Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) (see Self-Esteem); Rotter Scale (see Locus of Control); School Characteristics/Rating/Safety; Schooling; Welfare

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

Using data from the youngest cohorts of women in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study constructs AFDC histories starting at age 15. Most young women go on AFDC for the first time between ages 18 and 25 and do so in the first few years after the birth of their first baby. We use these histories to estimate models of the determinants of initial use of AFDC and of the rate of exit from the first AFDC spell. The models show little evidence that welfare benefits affect the likelihood and timing of AFDC use, except that higher Medicaid benefits are associated with slower rates of exit from an initial AFDC spell. Parental welfare receipt, the home educational environment, family structure, academic achievement, attitudes toward school, and race are significantly related to the likelihood of participating in AFDC and the rate of entry and exit.
Bibliography Citation
Klawitter, Marieka Marjorie, Robert D. Plotnick and Mark Evan Edwards. "Determinants of Welfare Entry and Exit by Young Women." Discussion Paper No. 1099-96, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1996.
4. Klepinger, Daniel H.
Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Adolescent Fertility and the Educational Attainment of Young Women
Report, Seattle WA: Human Affairs Research Center, Battelle Institute, March 1994
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Battelle Human Affairs Research Center
Keyword(s): Abortion; Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing, Adolescent; Contraception; Discrimination, Sex; Educational Attainment; Endogeneity; Fertility; Hispanics; Pregnancy and Pregnancy Outcomes; Racial Differences

This study finds that early childbearing reduces the educational attainment of young women by one to three years. The estimates control for both observed and unobserved differences in background and personal characteristics and take account of the endogeneity of fertility. We use an extensive set of predictors for early fertility, including state and county-level policy variables and other indicators of the costs and availability of abortion and contraception. Adolescent fertility has a strong negative effect on the schooling levels achieved by white, black, and Hispanic women. These results suggest that, if public policies are successful in reducing teenage pregnancy and childbearing, they will also increase the educational attainment of disadvantaged young women and improve their chances for economic self-sufficiency.
Bibliography Citation
Klepinger, Daniel H., Shelly Lundberg and Robert D. Plotnick. "Adolescent Fertility and the Educational Attainment of Young Women." Report, Seattle WA: Human Affairs Research Center, Battelle Institute, March 1994.
5. Klepinger, Daniel H.
Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Adolescent Fertility and the Educational Attainment of Young Women
Family Planning Perspectives 27,1 (January 1995): 23-28.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2135973
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Alan Guttmacher Institute
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing, Adolescent; Education; Educational Attainment; Endogeneity; Fertility; Hispanics; Pregnancy, Adolescent

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

This study finds that early childbearing reduces the educational attainment of young women by one to three years. The estimates control for both observed and unobserved differences in background and personal characteristics and take account of the endogeneity of fertility. We use an extensive set of predictors for early fertility, including state and county-level policy variables and other indicators of the costs and availability of abortion and contraception. Adolescent fertility has a strong negative effect on the schooling levels achieved by white, black, and Hispanic women. These results suggest that, if public policies are successful in reducing teenage pregnancy and childbearing, they will also increase the educational attainment of disadvantaged young women and improve their chances for economic self-sufficiency.
Bibliography Citation
Klepinger, Daniel H., Shelly Lundberg and Robert D. Plotnick. "Adolescent Fertility and the Educational Attainment of Young Women." Family Planning Perspectives 27,1 (January 1995): 23-28.
6. Klepinger, Daniel H.
Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
How Does Adolescent Fertility Affect the Human Capital and Wages of Young Women?
Presented: New Orleans, LA, Population Association of America, May 1996
Cohort(s): NLSY79, Young Women
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing; Childbearing, Adolescent; Education; Educational Returns; Endogeneity; Human Capital; Maternal Employment; Racial Differences; Variables, Instrumental; Wage Dynamics; Wages, Adult; Wages, Young Men; Work Experience

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

We present a model and estimates of the relationship between teenage childbearing and early human capital development, and the resulting consequences for wages in early adulthood. The analysis recognizes that the teenage childbearing decision is endogenous because it is likely to be related to the expected costs of and returns to investing in education teen work experience, and early adult work experience. We use instrumental variables procedures to generate unbiased estimates of the effects of early fertility on education and work experience, and of the effects of all these outcomes on adult wages.
Bibliography Citation
Klepinger, Daniel H., Shelly Lundberg and Robert D. Plotnick. "How Does Adolescent Fertility Affect the Human Capital and Wages of Young Women?" Presented: New Orleans, LA, Population Association of America, May 1996.
7. Klepinger, Daniel H.
Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
How Does Adolescent Fertility Affect the Human Capital and Wages of Young Women?
Discussion Paper No. 1145-97, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, September 1997.
Also: http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/dps/pdfs/dp114597.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin - Madison
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing, Adolescent; Economic Well-Being; Education; Human Capital; Maternal Employment; Racial Differences; Variables, Instrumental; Wages, Adult; Wages, Young Women; Work Experience

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

The consequences of teen childbearing for the future well-being of young women remain controversial. In this paper, we model and estimate the relationship between early childbearing and human capital investment, and its effect on wages in early adulthood. Taking advantage of a large set of potential instruments for fertility--principally state- and county-level indicators of the costs of fertility and fertility control--we use instrumental variables procedures to generate unbiased estimates of the effects of early fertility on education and work experience, and the effects of these outcomes on adult wages. For both black and white women, adolescent fertility substantially reduces years of formal education and teenage work experience. White teenage mothers also obtain less early adult work experience than young women who delay childbearing. We also find that, through these human capital effects, teenage childbearing has a significant effect on a young woman's market wage at age 25. Our results, unlike those of recent "revisionist" studies, suggest that public policies that reduce teenage childbearing are likely to have positive effects on the economic well-being of many young mothers and their families.
Bibliography Citation
Klepinger, Daniel H., Shelly Lundberg and Robert D. Plotnick. "How Does Adolescent Fertility Affect the Human Capital and Wages of Young Women?" Discussion Paper No. 1145-97, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, September 1997.
8. Klepinger, Daniel H.
Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
How Does Adolescent Fertility Affect the Human Capital and Wages of Young Women?
Journal of Human Resources 34,3 (Summer 1999): 421-448.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/146375
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing, Adolescent; Educational Attainment; Human Capital; Teenagers; Wages, Adult; Wages, Youth; Work Experience

We estimate the relationship between teenage childbearing, human capital investment, and wages in early adulthood, using a sample of women from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and a large set of potential instruments for fertility--principally state and county-level indicators of the costs of fertility and fertility control. Adolescent fertility substantially reduces years of formal education and teenage work experience and, for white women only, early adult work experience. Through reductions in human capital, teenage childbearing has a significant effect on market wages at age 25. Our results suggest that public policies which reduce teenage childbearing are likely to have positive effects on the economic well-being of many young mothers.
Bibliography Citation
Klepinger, Daniel H., Shelly Lundberg and Robert D. Plotnick. "How Does Adolescent Fertility Affect the Human Capital and Wages of Young Women?" Journal of Human Resources 34,3 (Summer 1999): 421-448.
9. Klepinger, Daniel H.
Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Instrument Selection: The Case of Teenage Childbearing and Women's Educational Attainment
Discussion Paper No. 1077-95, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, November 1995.
Also: http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/dps/pdfs/dp107795.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin - Madison
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing, Adolescent; Educational Attainment; Family Background and Culture; Methods/Methodology; Variables, Instrumental

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

Recent research has identified situations in which instrumental variables (IV) estimators are severely biased and has suggested diagnostic tests to identify such situations. We suggest a number of alternative techniques for choosing a set of instruments that satisfy these tests from a universe of a priori plausible candidates, and we apply them to a study of the effects of adolescent childbearing on the educational attainment of young women. We find that substantive results are sensitive to instrument choice, and make two recommendations to the practical researcher: First, it is prudent to begin with a large set of potential instruments, when possible, and pare it down through formal testing rather than to rely on a minimal instrument set justified on a priori grounds. Second, the application of more restrictive tests of instrument validity and relevance can yield results very different from those based on less restrictive tests that produce a more inclusive set of instruments, and is the preferred, conservative approach when improper instrument choice can lead to biased estimates.
Bibliography Citation
Klepinger, Daniel H., Shelly Lundberg and Robert D. Plotnick. "Instrument Selection: The Case of Teenage Childbearing and Women's Educational Attainment." Discussion Paper No. 1077-95, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, November 1995.
10. Klepinger, Daniel H.
Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Teen Childbearing and Human Capital: Does Timing Matter?
Working Paper, Center for Public Health Research and Evaluation, Battelle Memorial, Seattle WA, October 1999
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Battelle Human Affairs Research Center
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Age at First Birth; Childbearing, Adolescent; Educational Attainment; Human Capital; Racial Differences; Schooling; Teenagers; Variables, Instrumental; Wages; Work Experience

In this paper, we model and estimate the relationship between teenage childbearing at different ages and human capital investment. Taking advantage of a large set of potential instruments for fertility--principally state and county-level indicators of the costs of fertility and fertility control--we use instrumental variables procedures to generate unbiased estimates of the effects of early fertility at different ages on education and work. Using data from the NLSY, we find that teenage childbearing at any age substantially reduces years of formal education and early adult work experience for both black and white women. The effects of early and later teen births are similar for both education and early adult work experience. There are no important racial differences in the effects. In contrast, we find no significant impact of a first birth during ages 20-24 on education or work experience. An early teen birth fails have stronger detrimental effects because younger teen mothers are as likely to graduate from high school as older teen mothers, and are equally unlikely to attend college. Our results suggest that "a teen birth is a teen birth", and that public policies that reduce teenage childbearing are likely to have positive effects on the economic well being of many young mothers and their families.
Bibliography Citation
Klepinger, Daniel H., Shelly Lundberg and Robert D. Plotnick. "Teen Childbearing and Human Capital: Does Timing Matter?" Working Paper, Center for Public Health Research and Evaluation, Battelle Memorial, Seattle WA, October 1999.
11. Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Adolescent Premarital Childbearing: Do Economic Incentives Matter?
Journal of Labor Economics 13,2 (April 1995): 177-200.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2535102
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Keyword(s): Abortion; Adolescent Fertility; Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Childbearing, Adolescent; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Cost-Benefit Studies; Family Planning; Household Composition; Medicaid/Medicare; Modeling; Parental Marital Status; Pregnancy, Adolescent; Racial Differences; Religion; State Welfare; Welfare

An empirical model is developed of adolescent premarital childbearing in which a woman's decisions affect a sequence of outcomes: premarital pregnancy, pregnancy resolution, and the occurrence of marriage before the birth. State welfare, abortion, and family planning policies alter the costs and benefits of these outcomes. For white adolescents, welfare, abortion, and family planning policy variables have significant effects on these outcomes consistent with theoretical expectations. Black adolescents' behavior shows no association with the policy variables. The different racial results may reflect differences in sample size or important unmeasured racial differences in factors that influence fertility and marital behavior. (ABI/Inform)
Bibliography Citation
Lundberg, Shelly and Robert D. Plotnick. "Adolescent Premarital Childbearing: Do Economic Incentives Matter?" Journal of Labor Economics 13,2 (April 1995): 177-200.
12. Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Adolescent Premarital Childbearing: Do Opportunity Costs Matter?
Discussion Paper No. 926-90, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, September 1990
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin - Madison
Keyword(s): Abortion; Adolescent Fertility; Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Behavioral Differences; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Family Planning; Household Composition; Medicaid/Medicare; Racial Differences; Religion; State Welfare; Welfare

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

This study develops an empirical model of adolescent premarital childbearing which emphasizes the influence of opportunity costs. The model estimates determinants of premarital pregnancy, the choice to abort or carry to teem, and whether a marriage occurs before the birth. The sample is from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The long-run opportunity costs are the predicted effects of premarital childbearing on own future wages and welfare benefits. State variables on abortion and family planning policy and availability, which are proxies for the costs of abortion and avoiding pregnancy, represent short-run costs. For white adolescents, the long-run wage measure has statistically significant effects on abortion and pregnancy outcomes that are consistent with theoretical expectations. Their behavior also is associated with welfare, abortion, and family planning policy variables in directions consistent with an opportunity-cost model of behavior. Black adolescents' behavior shows no association with the opportunity-cost or policy variables. This may be a function of sample size. It may also be that there are important unmeasured racial differences in the factors that influence fertility and marital behavior.
Bibliography Citation
Lundberg, Shelly and Robert D. Plotnick. "Adolescent Premarital Childbearing: Do Opportunity Costs Matter?" Discussion Paper No. 926-90, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, September 1990.
13. Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Effects of State Welfare, Abortion, and Family Planning Policies on Premarital Childbearing Among White Adolescents
Family Planning Perspectives 22,6 (November-December 1990): 246-251+275.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2135680
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Alan Guttmacher Institute
Keyword(s): Abortion; Adolescent Fertility; Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Childbearing; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Family Planning; Fathers, Absence; Fertility; Government Regulation; Marital Status; Pregnancy and Pregnancy Outcomes; Teenagers

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

This paper investigates the impact of public policies and programs on the probability and resolution of premarital pregnancies. Data from the 1979-1986 NLSY fertility and marital histories of a sample of young white women who were ages 14-16 in 1979 are examined. Various measures of a state's abortion funding policies, the restrictiveness of its abortion laws, the availability of family planning services, the extent of welfare benefits, and proportions of women at risk of unintended pregnancies are developed. It was found that: (1) laws restricting contraceptive availability were associated with a higher risk of pregnancy; (2) policies restricting public funding of abortion reduced the likelihood that young women would obtain an abortion; and (3) higher welfare benefits reduced the probability that pregnant teenagers would marry before the birth of their child.
Bibliography Citation
Lundberg, Shelly and Robert D. Plotnick. "Effects of State Welfare, Abortion, and Family Planning Policies on Premarital Childbearing Among White Adolescents." Family Planning Perspectives 22,6 (November-December 1990): 246-251+275.
14. Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Measuring Lifetime Earnings Losses Caused by Teenage Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing
Presented: Baltimore, MD, Population Association of America Meetings, 1989
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Earnings; Fathers, Absence; Fertility; Hispanics; Labor Force Participation; Marital Stability; Marital Status; Racial Differences; Teenagers

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

This paper estimates the effect of early childbearing, both with and without an early marriage, on a young woman's future potential earnings using data from the NLSY. The approach used differs from others in that it: (1) examines both married and unmarried teenage mothers in order to isolate the effect of premarital childbearing from that of early childbearing; (2) corrects for selection biases which may arise from choices to participate in the labor market or from fertility and marriage choices; and (3) estimates the long term impact on earnings of early and premarital births, instead of a one year snapshot of this impact. It was found that a premarital birth leads to a substantial long-term reduction of earnings for white and Hispanic girls, but has essentially no effect on black girls' earnings. The results are strikingly consistent with the suggestion, based largely on casual, qualitative and journalistic evidence, that high rates of black premarital childbearing partly result because the labor market opportunities facing adolescent blacks are so poor that they sacrifice few long run earnings by not postponing motherhood.
Bibliography Citation
Lundberg, Shelly and Robert D. Plotnick. "Measuring Lifetime Earnings Losses Caused by Teenage Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing." Presented: Baltimore, MD, Population Association of America Meetings, 1989.
15. Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Teenage Childbearing and Adult Wages
Discussion Papers in Economics No. 90-24, Seattle WA: Department of Economics, University of Washington, August 1990.
Also: http://ideas.repec.org/p/fth/washer/90-24.html
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Department of Economics, University of Washington
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing; Childbearing, Adolescent; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Maternal Employment; Religion; Wages, Adult

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

The paper estimates the effect of early childbearing on a young woman s future wages using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. By following both married and unmarried teenage mothers we isolate the effect of premarital childbearing from that of early childbearing. Our methodology differs from that of earlier work, in that we estimate the long term impact on wages or early and premarital births. instead of a one year snapshot of this impact. and correct for selection biases due to labor market participation decisions, and to fertility and marriage choices. We find that a premarital birth leads to a long term reduction in wages for white women, but has no negative effects on black women's wages. A marital birth reduces wages substantially for whites and blacks. The results are consistent with the suggestion that rates of black premarital childbearing are high because the labor market opportunities facing adolescent blacks are so poor that they sacrifice nothing by becoming unwed mothers.
Bibliography Citation
Lundberg, Shelly and Robert D. Plotnick. "Teenage Childbearing and Adult Wages." Discussion Papers in Economics No. 90-24, Seattle WA: Department of Economics, University of Washington, August 1990.
16. Lundberg, Shelly
Plotnick, Robert D.
Testing the Opportunity Cost Hypothesis of Adolescent Premarital Childbearing
Presented: Toronto, ON, Population Association of America Meetings, May 1990.
Also: Working Paper, University of Washington, 1990
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Abortion; Adolescent Fertility; Behavioral Differences; Child Care; Childbearing; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Contraception; Family Planning; Fathers, Absence; General Assessment; Home Environment; Marital Status; Maternal Employment; Pregnancy and Pregnancy Outcomes; Racial Differences; Teenagers; Wages

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

This study develops an empirical model of adolescent premarital childbearing which emphasizes the influence of opportunity costs. The model estimates determinants of premarital pregnancy, the choice to abort or carry to term, and whether a marriage occurs before the birth. The sample is from the NLSY. The long run opportunity costs are the effects of premarital childbearing on own future wages and welfare benefits. State variables on abortion and family planning policy and availability, which are proxies for the costs of abortion and avoiding pregnancy, represent short run costs. Young white women appear to systematically respond to differences in long run opportunity costs associated with different teenage fertility and marital outcomes. The long run wage measure has statistically significant effects on abortion and pregnancy outcomes that are consistent with theoretical expectations. Their behavior also is associated with welfare, abortion and family planning policy variables in directions consistent with an opportunity cost model of behavior. Black behavior shows no association with the opportunity cost or policy variables. This may be a function of sample size. It may also be that there are important unmeasured racial differences in the factors that influence fertility and marital behavior.
Bibliography Citation
Lundberg, Shelly and Robert D. Plotnick. "Testing the Opportunity Cost Hypothesis of Adolescent Premarital Childbearing." Presented: Toronto, ON, Population Association of America Meetings, May 1990.
17. Plotnick, Robert D.
Determinants of Teenage Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing
Presented: New Orleans, LA, Population Association of America Meetings, April 1988
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Abortion; Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing; Family Planning; Fathers, Absence; Fertility; Household Composition; Marital Status; Teenagers

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

This study provides new evidence on the causes of teenage out-of-wedlock childbearing. It uses the NLSY to follow the fertility and marital history of young teenage girls. Personal and family background characteristics in this data set are merged with state data on welfare policy, on abortion and family planning policies and service availability, and on the socio-economic environment. Discrete time hazard models and cross-section logit models are used to assess the effects of a wide set of explanatory variables on the probability that a girl will have an out-of-wedlock birth.
Bibliography Citation
Plotnick, Robert D. "Determinants of Teenage Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing." Presented: New Orleans, LA, Population Association of America Meetings, April 1988.
18. Plotnick, Robert D.
The Effect of Attitudes on Teenage Premarital Pregnancy and its Resolution
Discussion Paper No. 965-92, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, February 1992
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin - Madison
Keyword(s): Abortion; Adolescent Fertility; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Family Background and Culture; Intergenerational Patterns/Transmission; Internal-External Attitude; Locus of Control (see Rotter Scale); Rotter Scale (see Locus of Control); Self-Esteem; Teenagers; Women's Roles

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

This study examines the influence of self-esteem, locus of control, and attitudes toward women's family roles and school on the probability of teenage premarital pregnancy and, given a pregnancy, whether it is resolved by abortion, having the birth premaritally, or marrying before the birth. The data are drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and analyzed using the nested logit method. The evidence suggests that for both whites and blacks the four attitude variables are associated with premarital pregnancy and its resolution in the directions predicted by theory.
Bibliography Citation
Plotnick, Robert D. "The Effect of Attitudes on Teenage Premarital Pregnancy and its Resolution." Discussion Paper No. 965-92, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, February 1992.
19. Plotnick, Robert D.
The Effects of Attitudes on Teenage Pregnancy and its Resolution
American Sociological Review 57,6 (December 1992): 800-811.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2096124
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Abortion; Adolescent Fertility; Behavioral Problems; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Family Background and Culture; Intergenerational Patterns/Transmission; Internal-External Attitude; Locus of Control (see Rotter Scale); Rotter Scale (see Locus of Control); Self-Esteem; Teenagers; Women's Roles

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

Drawing on problem behavior theory and complementary models of behavior, I examine the influence of attitudes and related personality variables on the probability of teenage premarital pregnancy and, when a pregnancy occurs, whether it is resolved by abortion, having an out-of-wedlock birth, or marrying before the birth. A sample of non-Hispanic white adolescents is drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and analyzed using the nested logit method. The estimates show that self-esteem, locus of control, attitudes toward women's family roles, attitudes toward school, educational aspirations, and religiosity are associated with premarital pregnancy and its resolution in directions predicted by theory. The effects of self-esteem, attitudes toward school, attitudes toward women's family roles, and educational expectations are substantively important. Attitudes and related personality variables are important paths through which family background characteristics influence adolescent sexual and marriage behavior.
Bibliography Citation
Plotnick, Robert D. "The Effects of Attitudes on Teenage Pregnancy and its Resolution ." American Sociological Review 57,6 (December 1992): 800-811.
20. Plotnick, Robert D.
Welfare and Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing: Evidence from the 1980s
Journal of Marriage and Family 52,3 (August 1990): 735-746.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/stable/352938
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: National Council on Family Relations
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Childbearing; Childbearing, Adolescent; Family Background and Culture; Fathers, Absence; Government Regulation; Hispanics; Household Composition; Parental Influences; Racial Differences; Teenagers; Welfare

This paper used data from the NLSY to examine the relationship between welfare and teenage out-of-wedlock childbearing in the 1979-84 period. The results indicated a relationship between welfare policy and out-of- wedlock childbearing for white and black, but not for Hispanic adolescents, although the evidence was not strong enough to make this conclusion fully compelling. [ERIC EJ419730]
Bibliography Citation
Plotnick, Robert D. "Welfare and Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing: Evidence from the 1980s." Journal of Marriage and Family 52,3 (August 1990): 735-746.
21. Plotnick, Robert D.
Butler, Sandra S.
Attitudes and Adolescent Nonmarital Childbearing: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
Journal of Adolescent Research 6,4 (October 1991): 470-492.
Also: http://jar.sagepub.com/content/6/4/470.abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Sage Publications
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Attitudes; Childbearing; Childbearing, Adolescent; Family Influences; Internal-External Attitude; Locus of Control (see Rotter Scale); Rotter Scale (see Locus of Control); Self-Esteem; Teenagers; Work Attitudes

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

This research studied the relationship between adolescent nonmarital childbearing and self-esteem, locus of control, and attitudes toward women's family roles, school, and work. 1,184 girls were drawn from the NLSY, a nationally representative data base containing information on attitudes obtained before nonmarital childbearing occurred. Subjects were surveyed at age 14-15 years in 1979; by age 19 years, 16.9% of the subjects had a nonmarital child. The evidence shows that higher self-esteem and more positive attitudes toward school have been associated with a lower probability of nonmarital childbearing. Subjects with nontraditional views on family and gender roles, higher educational expectations, and strong locus of control were less likely to have become unwed mothers. [PsycINFO]
Bibliography Citation
Plotnick, Robert D. and Sandra S. Butler. "Attitudes and Adolescent Nonmarital Childbearing: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth." Journal of Adolescent Research 6,4 (October 1991): 470-492.
22. Plotnick, Robert D.
Garfinkel, Irwin
Gaylin, Daniel S.
McLanahan, Sara S.
Ku, Inhoe
Better Child Support Enforcement: Can it Reduce Teenage Premarital Childbearing?
Working Paper #99-01, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, 1999.
Also: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP99-01-Plotnick.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Office of Population Research, Princeton University
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Child Support; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Ethnic Differences; Hispanics; Pregnancy, Adolescent; Racial Differences

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

Stricter child support enforcement may reduce unwed childbearing by raising the costs of fatherhood. We investigate this hypothesis using a sample of young women from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, to which we add information on state child support enforcement. Models of the probability of a teenage premarital birth and of teenage premarital pregnancy and pregnancy resolution provide tentative evidence that, during the early 1980s, teens living in states with higher rates of paternity establishment were less likely to become unwed mothers. This relationship is stronger for non-Hispanic whites than for non-Hispanic blacks. The findings suggest that policies that shift more costs of premarital childbearing to men may reduce this behavior, at least among non-Hispanic whites.
Bibliography Citation
Plotnick, Robert D., Irwin Garfinkel, Daniel S. Gaylin, Sara S. McLanahan and Inhoe Ku. "Better Child Support Enforcement: Can it Reduce Teenage Premarital Childbearing?" Working Paper #99-01, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, 1999.
23. Plotnick, Robert D.
Garfinkel, Irwin
McLanahan, Sara S.
Ku, Inhoe
Better Child Support Enforcement: Can It Reduce Teenage Premarital Childbearing?
Journal of Family Issues 25,5 (July 2004): 634-658.
Also: http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=13470389&db=aph
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Sage Publications
Keyword(s): Child Support; Childbearing; Childbearing, Adolescent; Ethnic Differences; Fatherhood; Pregnancy, Adolescent; Sexual Behavior; Teenagers

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

Stricter child support enforcement may reduce unwed childbearing by raising the costs of fatherhood. The authors investigate this hypothesis using a sample of young women from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, to which they add information on state child support enforcement. Models of the probability of a teenage premarital birth and of teenage premarital pregnancy and pregnancy resolution provide tentative evidence that during the early 1980s, teens living in states with higher rates of paternity establishment were less likely to become unwed mothers. This relationship is stronger for non-Hispanic Whites than for non-Hispanic Blacks. The findings suggest that policies that shift more costs of premarital childbearing to men may reduce this behavior, at least among non-Hispanic Whites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Bibliography Citation
Plotnick, Robert D., Irwin Garfinkel, Sara S. McLanahan and Inhoe Ku. "Better Child Support Enforcement: Can It Reduce Teenage Premarital Childbearing?" Journal of Family Issues 25,5 (July 2004): 634-658.
24. Plotnick, Robert D.
Klawitter, Marieka Marjorie
Edwards, Mark Evan
Do Attitudes and Personal Characteristics Affect Socioeconomic Outcomes? The Case of Welfare Use by Young Women
Presented: San Francisco, CA, American Sociological Association Annual Meetings, August 1998
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Attitudes; Family Background and Culture; Family Influences; Locus of Control (see Rotter Scale); Modeling, Hazard/Event History/Survival/Duration; Modeling, Logit; Self-Esteem; Welfare

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

Develops & estimates a structural model of social-psychological determinants of entry to the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, which holds that attitudes & personality characteristics influence a woman's likelihood of becoming demographically & financially eligible for welfare & her willingness to bear the stigma of receiving benefits. These factors, in turn, affect the likelihood of going on welfare. Data from the youngest cohorts of women in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth are drawn on to estimate logit models of the probability of ever participating in AFDC up to age 25 & hazard models of the timing until first use of AFDC. The attitudes & personality characteristics investigated are self-esteem, locus of control, attitudes toward school, attitudes toward women's work & family roles, commitment to work, & aversion to accepting public assistance. Strong associations are found between welfare use & several attitudes & personality characteristics, but most of the associations are not robust to the inclusion of exogenous personal & family background characteristics. There is consistent, strong evidence that more positive attitudes toward school lower the likelihood of using welfare & increasing duration until first receipt.
Bibliography Citation
Plotnick, Robert D., Marieka Marjorie Klawitter and Mark Evan Edwards. "Do Attitudes and Personal Characteristics Affect Socioeconomic Outcomes? The Case of Welfare Use by Young Women." Presented: San Francisco, CA, American Sociological Association Annual Meetings, August 1998.
25. Plotnick, Robert D.
Klawitter, Marieka Marjorie
Edwards, Mark Evan
Do Attitudes and Personality Characteristics Affect Socioeconomic Outcomes? The Case of Welfare Use by Young Women
Discussion Paper No. 1161-98, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1998.
Also: http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/dps/pdfs/dp116198.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin - Madison
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Attitudes; Family Background and Culture; Family Influences; Locus of Control (see Rotter Scale); Modeling, Hazard/Event History/Survival/Duration; Modeling, Logit; Self-Esteem; Welfare

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

We develop and estimate a model of social-psychological determinants of entry to the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, the primary cash welfare program in the United States for 60 years until replaced in 1996. The structural model holds that attitudes and personality characteristics influence a woman's likelihood of becoming demographically and financially eligible for welfare and her willingness to bear the stigma of receiving benefits. These factors, in turn, affect the likelihood of actually going on welfare. We test for a relationship between social-psychological variables and welfare participation using data from the youngest cohorts of women in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. We estimate logit models of the probability of ever participating in AFDC up to age 25 and hazard models of the timing until first use of AFDC. The attitudes and personality characteristics in the empirical model are self-esteem, locus of control, attitudes toward school, att itudes toward women's work and family roles, commitment to work, and aversion to accepting public assistance. We find strong associations between welfare use and several attitudes and personality characteristics, but most of the associations are not robust to the inclusion of exogenous personal and family background characteristics. Consistent, strong evidence suggests that more positive attitudes toward school lower the likelihood of using welfare and increase duration until first receipt.
Bibliography Citation
Plotnick, Robert D., Marieka Marjorie Klawitter and Mark Evan Edwards. "Do Attitudes and Personality Characteristics Affect Socioeconomic Outcomes? The Case of Welfare Use by Young Women." Discussion Paper No. 1161-98, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1998.