Publications by Author

Marieka Klawitter

Research

Klawitter, M.; Carpenter, C., (2007), Local Antidiscrimination Ordinances and the Earnings of Sexual Minorities: Evidence from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey, Public Policy and Sexual Orientation, Badgett, M. L.; Frank, J.

An abstract for this article is not available.

Klawitter, M. (with C.L. Anderson, M. Dietz, and A. Gordon). (2004). Discount rates in Vietnam. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 52(4).

An abstract for this article is not available.

Klawitter, M. with Maria Cancian, Daniel Meyer, Anu Rangarajan, Geoffrey Wallace, and Robert Wood (2003). Income and program participation among early TANF recipients: The evidence from New Jersey, Washington, and Wisconsin. Focus (Institute for Research on Poverty), Vol. 22(3).

An abstract for this article is not available.

Klawitter, M."Gays and Lesbians as Workers and Consumers in the Economy." Steven Seidman and Diane Richardson, eds., Handbook of Gay and Lesbian Studies, Sage Publications, 2002.

Klawitter, M. "Do Psychosocial Characteristics Affect Socioeconomic Outcomes?: The Case of Welfare Use by Young Women," (with M. Edwards and R. Plotnick), Social Science Quarterly, December 2001.

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, attitudes 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.

Klawitter, M. (with R. Plotnick and M. Edwards). (2000). Determinants of Initial Entry Onto Welfare by Young Women. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 19(4), 527-546.

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. Klawitter, M. (with Victor Flatt) (1998). The Effects of State and Local Antidiscrimination Policies for Sexual Orientation, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 17(4), 658-686. An abstract for this article is not available.