• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.57-85
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• 2010

Using the Survey of Wisconsin Works Families, the survey of the Child Support Demonstration Evaluation (CSDE) project in Wisconsin, this study examines whether the family structures of nonresident fathers and resident mothers are associated with nonresident fathers' economic contributions, measured by the level of informal support provided to their children living in the mothers' households. Findings show that the level of informal support is associated with not only individual and economic characteristics of nonresident fathers and resident mothers, but also family structures and institutional factors such as child support arrangements and the CSDE experiment. Both mothers' repartnering with another man and fathers' repartnering with another woman are negatively associated with the level of informal support. Fathers who lived together with mothers when their children were born provide more informal support than do fathers who did not. Fathers' multiple partner fertility is not associated with the level of informal support provided. Among fathers who have children with multiple partners, fathers provide more informal support to their children born by their first partner. Fathers who have multiple children with the mother of the focal child provide more informal support. Fathers who have other biological children living elsewhere provide less informal support. Fathers who pay higher levels of formal child support also provide higher levels of informal support. Fathers associated mothers assigned to the CSDE experiment group provide more informal support. The findings suggest that child support programs may increase informal support, thereby improving the well-being of resident mothers and their children living in poverty.