There are extraordinary opportunities to address the next generation of research challenges in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences that build on the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). First, PSID offers untapped opportunities to examine questions of relevance to our understanding...

Several categories of medical expenditures are not covered by Medicare, including prescription drugs, most nursing home stays, and extended hospital visits. Out-of-pocket costs for these items can be substantial, and what's more, they are likely to be concentrated at the end of life. At the same...

Over the past 35 years the gap in poverty between divorced and married women increased from 2:1 (in 1967) to 4:1 (in 2001). Despite high poverty rates, divorced women are no less educated than married women. Labor market earnings are a particularly important source of income for elderly divorced...

Using 1970, 1980, and 1990 U.S. census data, the author examines the life-cycle patterns of immigrant women's labor force participation. He finds that the cross-sectional approach that has been used in all previous studies leads to a substantial over-estimate of the degree to which immigrant...

Unstable couple relationships and high rates of re-partnering have increased the share of U.S. families with stepkin. Yet data on stepfamily structure are from earlier time periods, include only coresident stepkin, or cover only older adults. This paper uses new data on family structure and...

This study examines the economic progress of foreign-born men in the United States. Europeans entered the United States with relatively high wages and earned wages comparable to natives over their life course. Japanese, Korean, and Chinese men entered with lower wages but quickly caught up with...

The central theme of welfare reform is the requirement that welfare recipients engage in work activities. In many states this requirement applies even to mothers whose children are just a few months old. Holding a job increases the costs of breastfeeding, which in turn could reduce the...

Recent work by a number of economists has opened a debate about the role played by intergenerational transfers. Using the new Health and Retirement Survey (HRS), we are better able to address the issues involved. Contrary to the current literature on bequests, we do not find that parents give...