Cash-on-Hand and College Enrollment: Evidence from Population Tax Data and the Earned Income Tax Credit
利用美国人口层面的税收数据，研究发现低收入家庭学生在高三春季收到的退税（源于劳动所得税抵免的拐点）对大学入学有显著影响。
We estimate causal effects of cash-on-hand on college enrollment decisions of students from low-income families. Using population-level, administrative data from US income tax returns, we exploit variation in tax refunds received in the spring of the high school senior year. The variation in tax refunds results from the kink point between the phase-in and maximum credit portions of the Earned Income Tax Credit schedule. The results suggest tax refunds received in the spring of the high school senior year have meaningful effects on college enrollment.