This paper examines how experimental demonstrations can be used to inform planners about the efficacy of social programs in light of a performance standard. The problem is illustrated by considering the situation faced by state governments attempting to design programs to meet the new federal...

We extend the nonparametric literature on partially identified probability distributions and use our analytical results to provide sharp bounds on the impact of universal health insurance on provider visits and medical expenditures. Our approach accounts for uncertainty about the reliability of...

Policymakers have been puzzled to observe that food stamp households appear more likely to be food insecure than observationally similar eligible nonparticipating households. We reexamine this issue allowing for nonclassical reporting errors in food stamp participation and food insecurity....

A measure of "true" disability is constructed as a continuous index of unobserved work limitation using information from the Health and Retirement Study. Estimates from a simultaneous model of work participation, disability, and income flows suggest that nonworkers tend to substantially...

This study investigates the determinants of applications for U.S. disability benefits between 1986 and 1993 using a semiparametric discrete factor procedure separately for men and women. Approximating a dynamic optimization model, the estimation accounts for a variety of potential biases that...