Cohabitation, marriage and child outcomes

Preface The authors are very grateful to the Nuffield Foundation for supporting this work as part of a wider project, 'Births out of Wedlock and Cognitive and Social Development throughout Childhood: A Quantitative Analysis' (grant number CPF/37467). The Nuffield Foundation is an endowed charitable trust that aims to improve social well-being in the widest sense. It funds research and innovation in education and social policy and also works to build capacity in education, science and social science research. The authors would also like to extend their thanks to a number of colleagues who have helped them with this work. Particular thanks to Sharon Witherspoon for all her extremely insightful support. Many thanks also to Sibieta for helpful discussions and comments on earlier drafts. The authors are also extremely indebted to participants at a seminar held at the Nuffield Foundation on 22 March 2010, and to an anonymous referee, whose suggestions have been extremely helpful. All views expressed are those of the authors.