Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Using data from administrative records, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, and the Current Population Survey, we find that the proportion of never married mothers receiving child support rose sharply in the 1980s and 1990s. Using within-state variation over time, we estimate that increased government expenditures on child support are responsible for about one quarter of the upward trend in child support receipt. Our results show that child support expenditures and legislation work best in tandem. States that both increased expenditures and adopted tougher laws experienced the largest increase in the proportion of never married mother families receiving support.