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Author: Weeks, Gregory
Resulting in 3 citations.
1. Cao, Jian
Stromsdorfer, Ernst W.
Weeks, Gregory
Human Capital Effect of the GED on Low Income Women
Working Paper, Department of Economics and Social and Economical Sciences Research Center, Washington State University, 1995
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Department of Economics, Washington State University
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Dropouts; Endogeneity; Family Income; GED/General Educational Diploma/General Equivalency Degree/General Educational Development; Labor Market Outcomes; Wage Gap; Welfare

Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the 1992 American Public Policy and Management Association annual meetings and the 68th Western Economic Association annual meetings in 1993. This study examines the impacts of the GED and other secondary and post-secondary credentials on labor market outcomes for women using data from the NLSY Mother and Children file and the Washington State Family Income Study. Correcting for sample selection and endogeneity bias of welfare recipiency, we find that one cannot distinguish between secondary dropouts, GED recipients, and secondary graduates in hours of work. Results on hourly wage rates are mixed. For the FIS sample, GED recipients, secondary graduates and secondary dropouts earn the same wage. For the NLSY, GED recipients fare better than dropouts, but worse than secondary graduates. Job experience explains the wage gap between GED recipients and graduates, but its explanatory power is dominated by controlling for years of education or AFQT. Differences in years of education and AFQT scores are responsible for the observed wage differences among the GED recipients, secondary graduates and secondary dropouts.
Bibliography Citation
Cao, Jian, Ernst W. Stromsdorfer and Gregory Weeks. "Human Capital Effect of the GED on Low Income Women." Working Paper, Department of Economics and Social and Economical Sciences Research Center, Washington State University, 1995.
2. Cao, Jian
Stromsdorfer, Ernst W.
Weeks, Gregory
Is the GED a Viable Human Capital Treatment for Poor and Welfare Dependent Women?
Working Paper, Department of Economics, Washington State University, October 1993
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Department of Economics, Washington State University
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Dropouts; Endogeneity; GED/General Educational Diploma/General Equivalency Degree/General Educational Development; High School Completion/Graduates; Labor Market Outcomes; Wage Rates; Welfare

This study compares labor market outcomes among high school dropouts, GED recipients, and conventional high school graduates using two longitudinal databases, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) Merged Child-Mother File and the Washington State Family Income Study (FIS) File. Correcting for sample selection bias and endogeneity bias of welfare recipiency, the study found that (1) for both the FIS and the NLSY, in terms of total annual hours of work the three groups are not statistically distinguishable and there is also no evidence of effect of GED on post-secondary education; and (2) any differences in before-tax average hourly wage rates among the three groups are accounted for by years of education completed for the FIS or by AFQT score the NLSY.
Bibliography Citation
Cao, Jian, Ernst W. Stromsdorfer and Gregory Weeks. "Is the GED a Viable Human Capital Treatment for Poor and Welfare Dependent Women?" Working Paper, Department of Economics, Washington State University, October 1993.
3. Wang, Boqing
Cardell, N. Scott
Weeks, Gregory
Maternal Labor Supply and Children's Cognitive and Affective Performance
Working Paper, Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, Evergreen State College, December 1994.
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Evergreen State College
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Cognitive Ability; Cognitive Development; Family Income; Genetics; Grandmothers; Home Environment; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Income Level; Inheritance; Maternal Employment; Memory for Digit Span (WISC) - also see Digit Span; Methods/Methodology; Mothers, Education; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT); Selectivity Bias/Selection Bias; Self-Esteem; Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC); Simultaneity; Verbal Memory (McCarthy Scale); Welfare; Work Hours/Schedule

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

A significant issue in welfare policy reform is whether and how to encourage single mothers to work outside the home. The research reported here is designed to address the concern that a mother's employment outside the home may adversely affect her child's affective and cognitive performance. Our estimates are corrected for both selection bias and simultaneity. We find no evidence to support concern about an adverse effect of a mother's employment outside the home on her child's performance. However, we do find that three variables strongly related to a child's home environment and genetic inheritance--mother's AFQT score and schooling and maternal grandmother's schooling--have a strong consistent positive relationship to cognitive scores. By contrast, family income has no significant positive relationship to any measure of child performance.
Bibliography Citation
Wang, Boqing, N. Scott Cardell and Gregory Weeks. "Maternal Labor Supply and Children's Cognitive and Affective Performance." Working Paper, Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, Evergreen State College, December 1994.