Volume 15, Number 4 (Fall) 1980
Hall, Arden R. 1980. "The Counseling and Training Subsidy Treatments." Journal of Human Resources 15(4):591-610.
The Seattle and Denver Income Maintenance Experiments were the only negative income tax experiments to test the efficacy of counseling and training subsidies in limiting the expected program-induced reductions in work effort. The program had two components: free counseling services and a program of subsidies for the direct costs of education and training. Three levels of experimental treatment were used. All experimental subjects were eligible for free counseling, and some were also eligible for an educational subsidy at the rate of 50 or 100 percent of direct costs incurred. Participation in all aspects of the program were voluntary, and it varied with the characteristics of individuals as well as the particular treatment. The training subsidies did induce increased school attendance, and both counseling and training affected labor supply. However, no subsequent effects of increased human capital have been found. Definitive statements about the final effects of the program must await analysis of additional data, but the results presented here suggest that the treatments had at most a modest impact.
The author is an economist with SRI International. The research reported herein was performed pursuant to contracts with the States of Washington and Colorado, prime contractors for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare under contract numbers SRS-70-53 and HEW-100-78-0004, respectively. The opinions expressed in the paper are those of the author and should not be construed as representing the opinions or policies of the States of Washington or Colorado or any agency of the United States government. The assistance of Marilyn Coon, Fred Dong, and Vicki Wooding is gratefully acknowledged.
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