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Abstract
This dissertation examines how youth labor supply affects various adolescent outcomes. Using datafrom the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, I investigate the causal effects of
adolescent work hours on mental health and educational outcomes. In Chapter 1, I estimate the causal
effect of an additional hour worked per week during adolescence on depressive symptoms. Results show
that increased hours worked leads to a statistically significant increase in depressive symptoms for females
during both the school year and the summer, while there is little evidence of statistically significant effects
for males in the aggregate. There is notable effect heterogeneity by parental education and race. The
adverse mental health effects for females are larger for those with at least one college-educated parent.
White adolescents experience declines in mental health, while Black adolescents see improvements in
mental health from an increase in hours worked. Exploration of candidate mechanisms reveals that the
effects on mental health may be driven by substitution away from active leisure and sleep along with
changes in peer groups. In Chapter 2, I estimate the effects of increased youth labor supply on educational
outcomes, such as high school dropout, college enrollment, GPA, and course failure. I find that increased
hours worked significantly increase high school dropout and course failure and decrease college enrollment
and GPA for both males and females. These effects may be driven in part by changes in school attendance,
as well as changes in expectations and preferences regarding higher education. While increased labor supply
is most harmful during the academic year, I find that working during the summer also has deleterious
effects. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that the harmful effects of increased labor supply are larger for
White females than for Black females.