In the absence of typical exclusion restrictions, covariance restrictions are used to obtain estimates of the effects of children on household behaviour. Using data from the PSID on two age samples, children are found to have a significant impact on many household decisions. However, while in...

We examine the (potentially nonlinear) relationship between inequality and growth using a method which does not require an a priori assumption on the underlying functional form. This approach reveals a plateau completely missed by commonly used (nonlinear) parametric approaches - the economy...

We examine the (potentially nonlinear) relationship between inequality and growth using a method which does not require an a priori assumption on the underlying functional form. This approach reveals a plateau completely missed by commonly used (nonlinear) parametric approaches—the economy...

In this article, we evaluate the role of elections in governors' state tax policy making. Does it matter for state taxes whether the governor is a Democrat or Republican and whether she is eligible for re-election or faces a binding term limit? Using a Regression Discontinuity Design and a panel...

China has recently undergone a series of reforms on higher education aimed at raising the level of human capital. However, relatively little is known about returns to higher education (i.e. college premium) and how it varies across population in China over time. In this paper, we contribute to...

This paper studies the impact of mortgages on consumer debt and on debt on durable goods. Outstanding debt, representing mortgages, affects positively consumer debt, and the debt on durable goods. This hypothesis is empirically tested for the U.S. using PSID 2005 wave. Our results are striking....