Three basic mechanisms are behind the statistical relationship between fertility decisions and labor force participation decisions. 1) Causal direct effect: the time spent in child-care reduces the labor market effort leading to a temporary drop in post-birth labor force participation. 2) Causal...

A fundamental property of a progressive income tax is that it provides implicit collective insurance against idiosyncratic shocks to income by dampening the variability of disposable income and consumption. The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA) and the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA86)...