Daniel T. Lichter

Daniel T. Lichter, professor of sociology at Ohio State University and associate of the Center for Human Resource Research, will examine the long-term consequences of increased childhood poverty and family instability in the 1980s and 1990s. Do "at risk" children necessarily become socially disadvantaged and disengaged adults? How great are the effects of poverty on children, and does any damage done persist into adulthood? Does poverty affect children differently depending on their age, race, gender, or place of residence, and what are the causal mechanisms at work? His research points to a greater diversity of outcomes than is commonly assumed, with some children developing positive attitudes and behaviors that carry them into productive adult roles. Lichter will also test different theories of how poverty and socio-economic disadvantage are passed down from one generation to the next.

Working Papers:

• Economic Restructuring and the Retreat from Marriage
• Rural America in Transition: Poverty and Welfare at the Turn of the 21st Century
• Becoming a Good Citizen? The Long-Term Consequences of Poverty and Family Instability During Childhood
• Finding a Mate?: The Marital and Cohabitation Histories of Unwed Mothers