Abstract
This paper evaluates SIPP as a resource for studying the interrelationship between family change and economic resources and proposes several modifications, in both design and content. The changes in design include: (1) lengthening the time frame (doubling the span of any single panel and spacing successive waves and panels further apart); (2) redesigning the way interviewers ask and record marital change; and (3) tracking children when they move into non-SIPP households. Proposed additions to content include: (1) identifying spending units – who pools resources with whom; (2) collecting more complete information on time use; (3) gathering comprehensive data on the structure, needs, and resources of the extended family and transfers with non-resident, extended-family members; and (4) identifying the options people consider in their decisions about work and family. These modifications are discussed in the context of important aspects of measurement, major findings from SIPP thus far, and anticipated future research interests.
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