@inbook{177971,
  author = {Timothy J. Nelson and Kathryn J. Edin},
  title = {"Whatever They Need" Helping Poor Children Through In-Kind Support},
  abstract = { Fathers do not associate formal child support with "providing"; they instead view their support order as "just another bill to pay". Most fathers prefer to provide support informally{\textemdash}through cash contributions to the mother{\textemdash}or in-kind{\textemdash}through direct provision of goods. This is, in part, because they believe these forms of support do more to enhance the father{\textendash}child bond, a theme evident in prior qualitative research. New quantitative evidence backs up these claims, although the theoretical mechanisms are not known. This chapter builds on these analyses, examining the narratives of 428 low-income, nonresident fathers to more deeply uncover processes and mechanisms that may underlie these results. It identifies key aspects of the formal system that trigger the overwhelmingly negative valence fathers have toward the program. It also identifies aspects of informal (i.e., cash directly to the mother) and in-kind support that yield positive associations with provision{\textemdash}of "whatever they need"{\textemdash}and with the father{\textendash}child bond.~ },
  year = {2020},
  journal = {Confronting Inequality: How Policies and Practices Shape Children{\textquoteright}s Opportunities},
  pages = {119-140},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association},
  address = {Washington, DC},
  url = {https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-30963-006},
  language = {eng},
}