Hill Heather D, Morris Pamela A, Castells Nina, Walker Jessica Thornton
J Policy Anal Manage. 2011 Spring;30(2):310-333. doi: 10.1002/pam.20565.
This study uses data from an experimental employment program and instrumental variables (IV) estimation to examine the effects of maternal job loss on child classroom behavior. Random assignment to the treatment at one of three program sites is an exogenous predictor of employment patterns. Cross-site variation in treatment-control differences is used to identify the effects of employment levels and transitions. Under certain assumptions, this method controls for unobserved correlates of job loss and child well-being, as well as measurement error and simultaneity. IV estimates suggest that maternal job loss sharply increases problem behavior but has neutral effects on positive social behavior. Current employment programs concentrate primarily on job entry, but these findings point to the importance of promoting job stability for workers and their children.
本研究使用来自一项实验性就业项目的数据和工具变量（IV）估计方法，来检验母亲失业对孩子课堂行为的影响。在三个项目地点之一随机分配接受治疗，是就业模式的一个外生预测因素。利用治疗组与对照组差异的跨地点变化来确定就业水平和转变的影响。在某些假设下，这种方法可以控制失业与儿童福祉的未观察到的相关因素，以及测量误差和同时性。工具变量估计表明，母亲失业会大幅增加问题行为，但对积极的社会行为有中性影响。当前的就业项目主要集中在就业进入方面，但这些发现指出了促进工人及其子女就业稳定性的重要性。
