How Does Adolescent Fertility Affect the Human Capital and Wages of Young Women?

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.

Instrument selection: The case of teenage childbearing and women's educational attainment

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.

Obtaining a Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Experiences of Caregivers and Professionals

The current study describes the lived experiences of stakeholders in a community-based fetal alcohol spectrum disorders assessment clinic. A qualitative methodology was used. Five participants, one caregiver and four professionals, were interviewed about their experiences. Six themes emerged from this process including: clinic organization: systemic strengths and challenges; attitudes and approach: laying the foundation; beyond yes or no: assessment and diagnosis; the moment of truth: delivering the diagnosis; outcomes: what happens after the diagnosis?; what does the future hold? next steps and needs. These themes formed a sequential story-telling of participant experience. Study results are critiqued and practical implications are discussed

Sabine Pass: The Confederacy\u27s Thermopylae

Texans triumph Confederates avoid a single casualty On September 8, 1863, a group of less than 50 Irish-Confederate dock workers from Houston successfully defended Sabine Pass, Texas, from a much larger, better-equipped Union invasion force. For this action Lieutenant Dick Dowlin...

A theoretical investigation of the aerodynamics of slender wing-body combinations exhibiting leading-edge separation

Theoretical investigation of aerodynamics of slender wing-body combinations exhibiting leading edge separatio

SBASI: Actuated pyrotechnic time delay initiator

A precision pyrotechnic time delay initiator for missile staging was developed and tested. Incorporated in the assembly is a single bridgewire Apollo standard initiator (SBASI) for initiation, a through-bulkhead-initiator to provide isolation of the SBASI output from the delay, the pyrotechnic delay, and an output charge. An attempt was made to control both primary and secondary variables affecting functional performance of the delay initiator. Design and functional limit exploration was performed to establish tolerance levels on manufacturing and assembling operations. The test results demonstrate a 2% coefficient of variation at any one temperature and an overall 2.7% coefficient of variation throughout the temperature range of 30 to 120 F. Tests were conducted at simulated operational altitude from sea level to 200,000 feet

Born to Battle: Grant and Forrest: Shiloh, Vicksburg and Chattanooga: The Campaigns That Doomed the Confederacy

Analyzing Civil War Leadership Both Ulysses Grant and Nathan Bedford Forrest left indelible legacies during the American Civil War. Both men came from humble beginnings, although Forrest earned a fortune in slaves and cotton and Grant attended the United States Military Academy at West ...