Replication data for: A Cautionary Tale about the Use of Administrative Data: Evidence from Age of Marriage Laws

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Rebecca M. Blank; Kerwin Kofi Charles; James M. Sallee

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
LICENSE.txt text/plain 14.6 KB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM
aggregate_census.dta application/octet-stream 4.3 MB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM
aggregate_vital.dta application/octet-stream 4.7 MB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM
census1950f.dta application/octet-stream 3.7 MB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM
census1950m.dta application/octet-stream 3.2 MB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM
census1960.dta application/octet-stream 1.5 MB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM
census1970.dta application/octet-stream 1.5 MB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM
census1970f.dta application/octet-stream 5.1 MB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM
census1970m.dta application/octet-stream 4.7 MB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM
men_census.dta application/octet-stream 184.5 MB 10/12/2019 08:11:AM

Project Citation: 

Blank, Rebecca M., Charles, Kerwin Kofi, and Sallee, James M. Replication data for: A Cautionary Tale about the Use of Administrative Data: Evidence from Age of Marriage Laws. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2009. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-10-12. https://doi.org/10.3886/E113556V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary This paper demonstrates that administrative data may be inferior to survey data under particular circumstances. We examine the effect of state laws governing the minimum age of marriage in the United States. The estimated effects of these laws are much smaller when based on retrospective reports from census versus administrative records from Vital Statistics data. This discrepancy appears due to systematic avoidance behavior of two kinds. Some young people marry in states with less restrictive laws; others appear to have misrepresented their age on their marriage certificate. Our results have important implications regarding legal avoidance and the use of administrative data. (JEL J12 K36)

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:  View help for JEL Classification
      J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
      K36 Family and Personal Law


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V1 [2019-10-12]

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