Data and Code for: The Labor Market Impacts of Universal and Permanent Cash Transfers: Evidence from the Alaska Permanent Fund

Since 1982, all Alaskan residents have received a yearly cash dividend from the Alaska Permanent Fund. Using the Current Population Survey and a synthetic control method, this paper shows that the dividend had no effect on employment, and increased part-time work by 1.8percentage points (17%). A calibration of micro and macro effects suggests that the empirical results are consistent with cash stimulating the local economy — a general equilibrium effect.Non-tradable sectors have a more positive employment response than tradable sectors. Overall, the results suggest that a universal and permanent cash transfer does not significantly decrease aggregate employment. Covers 1960–2015.

The following publications are supplemented by the data in this project.

• Jones, Damon, and Ioana Marinescu. “The Labor Market Impacts of Universal and Permanent Cash Transfers: Evidence from the Alaska Permanent Fund.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 14, no. 2 (May 2022): 315–40. https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20190299.

The following publications relate in an unspecified way to the data in this project.

• Jones, Damon, and Ioana Marinescu. “The Labor Market Impacts of Universal and Permanent Cash Transfers:  Evidence from the Alaska Permanent Fund.” Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, February 2018. https://doi.org/10.3386/w24312.