This question set is based on Herbst (2017) and focuses on analyzing the impact of universal child care on maternal employment in the United States. Here's a breakdown of how to address each question:
(a) Identification Strategy and What is Identified
The identification strategy likely involves a difference-in-differences (DiD) or triple-difference (DDD) approach to estimate the causal effect of universal child care policies on maternal employment. This approach would compare employment rates of mothers before and after policy implementation, between areas that adopted the policy and those that didn't. The goal is to control for both time-specific and region-specific effects, isolating the effect of child care access on maternal employment. Here, the primary effect identified is the impact of access to universal child care on the likelihood of mothers entering or remaining in the workforce.
(b) Interpretation of the Empirical Model
The empirical model presented is:
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