Data for this study come from the special geocode version of the National Longitudinal
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Survey of Youth (NLSY). The NLSY is a longitudinal data set that follows a nationally
representative sample of nearly 13,000 young men and women from 1979 to 1998, providing detailed
information on a multitude of issues, including welfare receipt, school enrollment, and labor force
behavior. The sample is limited to women because they are the primary recipients of welfare
assistance. Only college attendance toward a recipient's first advanced degree is considered.