The effects of car access on employment outcomes for welfare recipients

We use four waves of a longitudinal survey of current and former welfare recipients in Tennessee to examine the effects of car access on employment, weekly hours of work, and hourly wages. Contributions include a focus on car access instead of ownership, treatment of urban and rural differences, and controls for the simultaneity of car access and employment outcomes. Results indicate that car access generally increases the probability of being employed and leaving welfare. Car access also leads to more hours of work for welfare recipients with a work requirement and enables participants to find better-paying jobs.