The impact of unemployment benefits on birth outcomes: Quasi-experimental evidence from European linked register data

Cash transfers have been shown to improve birth outcomes by improving maternal nutrition, increasing healthcare use, and reducing stress. Most of the evidence focuses on programs targeting the poorest in the US—a context with non-universal access to healthcare and strong health inequalities. It is thus unclear whether these results would apply to cash transfers targeting a less disadvantaged population and whether they apply to other contexts. We provide evidence on the impact of unemployment benefits on birth outcomes in Switzerland, where access to healthcare is near-universal and social assistance is relatively generous. Our study taps into a policy reform that reduced unemployment benefits by 56%. We use linked parent-child register data and difference-in-differences estimates as well as within sibling comparisons. We find that the reform did not impact birth outcomes when fathers were unemployed but reduced the birthweight of children when mothers were unemployed by 80g and body length by 6mm. There are stronger effects for children whose mothers were the primary earner before job loss, but effects do not differ systematically by household income. These results suggest that in the Swiss context, unemployment benefits improve birth outcomes by reducing (job search) stress rather than by improving nutrition or healthcare use. As such, cash transfers likely play a role for newborn health in most other contexts

Labor Market Inequality and Atypical Employment.

This dissertation presents four papers on inequality in the labor market. The first paper uses regression analysis to show which national contexts encourage high levels of atypical employment (part-time, self employment, and fixed term). The paper includes a review of current public policy designed to improve atypical employment including employment protection legislation, relevant judicial rulings, and union activity, and concludes with some policy directions. The second paper uses regression analysis and propensity score matching to examine the relative wages of fixed term workers in ten European countries. Findings suggest that fixed term workers have lower wages than their permanent counterparts in all countries, although they suffer a worse disadvantage in those countries with strict employment protection legislation. The third paper uses an agent based model of worker-job matching and shows that firms may use intermediaries (i.e. temp agencies) for reasons beyond just saving on compensation. As such, while income inequality may result from atypical employment, it need not be the driving factor behind it. In addition, the simulation finds that standard intermediary fee structures encourage the sorting of less skilled workers into indirect hire positions. The final paper uses network analysis to show that in academic sociology, organizational prestige can reinforce itself through professors' labor market transitions. In sum, the four papers use a variety of methodological approaches to illustrate several sources of inequality in the labor market for both individuals and organizations. The first two papers illustrate how these inequality-generating mechanisms might vary across countries.Ph.D.Public Policy & SociologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61794/1/dhevenst_1.pd

What Limits Intra-Household Insurance or the “Added Worker Effect”?

The “Added Worker Effect” (AWE) theory posits that partners of the unemployed provide intrahousehold insurance by increasing their earnings. However, estimates of the AWE are small. Popular explanations include lacking need (e.g., due to generous unemployment benefits), capacity, or willingness to increase earnings, though these explanations are seldomly tested systematically. Using Swiss administrative data and difference-in-differences estimates we find an overall AWE among only non-working women. We find no systematic differences in AWEs between couples with differing need or capacity, but aspects related to willingness like marriage, long marital duration, and shared biological children are associated with higher AWEs. Men’s overall slight reduction in earnings upon their partners’ unemployment are driven by young, childless, cohabiting men. Overall, compared to unemployment insurance, in all studied subgroups, the AWE is a minimal source of insurance

Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) demonstration: delivery, take-up, and outcomes of in-work training support for lone parents (Research report No 727)

"This report focuses on the delivery, take-up and outcomes of the in-work training support provided through the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) demonstration... The ERA demonstration was designed to test the effectiveness of a programme to improve the labour market prospects of low-paid workers and long-term unemployed people." - page 4

PP: combattre la discrimination liée à l'âge par des taux de cotisation uniformes?

L’instauration de taux de cotisation uniformes et indépendants de l’âge dans la prévoyance professionnelle pénaliserait les jeunes salariées sans profiter pour autant aux plus âgées. C’est la conclusion d’une étude qui a examiné les effets de l’adaptation des taux de cotisation des femmes lors de la 1re révision de la LPP en 200

BVG: Altersunabhängige Beitragssätze gegen Altersdiskriminierung?

Altersunabhängige, einheitliche Beitragssätze der Pensionskasse würden jüngere Arbeit­nehmerinnen benachteiligen, ohne dass ältere davon profitieren. Zu diesem Schluss kommt eine Studie, welche die angepassten Beitragssätze von Frauen im Rahmen der 1. BVG­Revision von 2005 untersucht hat

Springst du für mich ein, wenn ich die Stelle verliere?

In der Theorie kann die Familie die Funktionen einer Sozialversicherung übernehmen. Eine neue Studie der BFH zeigt, dass dies bei Arbeitslosigkeit selten der Fall ist. Nur in sehr spezifischen Fällen ist zu erkennen, dass Partner*innen von Arbeitslosen ihr Einkommen erhöhen – und selbst dann in geringem Ausmass

The Impact of Social Impact Bond Financing

Social impact bonds (SIBs), also known as Pay for Success, are an innovation in Payment by Results contracting. Investors finance programs and are repaid based on the “SIB effect,” which includes changes in outcomes attributable to financing. We generate a quantitative estimate of this part of the SIB effect for two active labor market programs in the Netherlands and Switzerland. Comparing program impacts within providers using SIB and non-SIB contracts suggests financing has positive impacts on public benefit receipt, employment, and income. Qualitative research suggests this is because SIB contracts increased pressure for all involved parties, leading to the institutionalization of selection and greater resources for SIB-financed services. Contracts with high pressure, like SIBs, may compromise both performance requirements and the potential to measure performance. We examine the implications of these findings in relation to agency and stewardship theories and highlight the significance of SIBs as multilateral as opposed to bilateral contracts