Trois essais économétriques sur le développement et le bien-être des enfants canadiens

This thesis contains three econometric essays on child human capital and well-being. Each essay has a distinct methodology to meet the purpose. In the first chapter, we evaluate the long-term effects of a reform of universal child care in Canada on children's health, motor and social development, and behaviour. We show that the policy had negative effects on preschool children's well-being, but these effects tend to disappear as the child gets older. We find that this pattern persist even ten years after the implementation of the reform. The second chapter focuses on the effect of the intensity of child care on preschool children's cognitive development using propensity score matching with multivalued treatments. We show that the effects of child care are significantly heterogeneous and vary by family socioeconomic status, schooling or not of the child, the intensity of child care and the type of child care arrangement. The third chapter models mathematics trajectories of Canadian children aged 7 to 15 years and identifies risk factors during early childhood on the membership of these trajectories using Group-Based Trajectory Modeling (Nagin, 2005).Cette thèse propose trois essais économétriques ayant trait au capital humain et au bien-être de l'enfant. Chacun des essais présente une méthodologie distincte afin de répondre à l'objectif concerné. Dans le premier chapitre, nous évaluons les effets à long terme d'une politique de services de garde universels au Canada sur le bien-être de l'enfant (santé, comportement, développement moteur et social). Nous montrons que la réforme a un effet négatif sur le bien-être des enfants d'âge préscolaire, mais ces effets tendent à disparaître lorsque l'enfant devient plus âgé. Nous trouvons que cette tendance persiste même dix ans après la mise en place de la réforme. Le second chapitre s'intéresse à l'effet de l'intensité des services de garde sur le développement cognitif des enfants d'âge préscolaire. Nous utilisons la méthode d'appariement à traitements multiples pour répondre à cet objectif. Nous montrons que les effets des services de garde sont grandement hétérogènes. Leurs effets varient selon le statut socioéconomique des familles, la scolarité ou non de l'enfant, le niveau d'intensité des services de garde ainsi que le mode de garde utilisé. Le troisième chapitre porte sur la modélisation des trajectoires des performances mathématiques des enfants canadiens de 7 à 15 ans ainsi que sur l'identification des facteurs de risque durant la petite enfance susceptibles d'influencer l'appartenance à ces trajectoires. La méthode utilisée est celle du Group-Based Trajectory Modeling de Nagin (2005)

Overcoming laser diode nonlinearity issues in multi-channel radio-over-fiber systems

The authors demonstrate how external light injection into a directly modulated laser diode may be used to enhance the performance of a multi-channel radio-over-fiber system operating at a frequency of 6 GHz. Performance improvements of up to 2 dB were achieved by linearisation of the lasers-modulation response. To verify the experimental work a simulation of the complete system was carried out using Matlab. Good correlation was observed between experimental and simulated results

The Impact of Universal Child Benefits on Family Health and Behaviours

In 2006, the Universal Child Care Benefit was introduced in Canada for all children aged less than 6 years. This program aims to help cover the cost of children and to provide financial assistance to families with young children in their choice of childcare. We exploit this policy change to estimate the effects of unconditional family cash transfers on the health and behaviours of two-parent families and their children. Using a difference-in-differences model, we find no evidence that the program improved child and parental outcomes in aggregate. A modest but fragile beneficial effect is found for low-education families and for girls

The Effect of Paid Parental Leave on Breastfeeding, Parental Health and Behavior

Little is known about the effects of paid parental leave (in particular fathers' quotas) on parental health and involvement. In this paper, we exploit a reform that took place in the Canadian province of Quebec to address that important topic. In 2006, Quebec opted out of the federal plan and established its own parental insurance plan, named the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP). This program has lowered the eligibility criteria, increased income replacement and introduced fathers' quotas. Using three data sets, we investigate the impact of the QPIP on breastfeeding and parental health and behavior. Our results show that the reform increased breastfeeding duration and parental involvement. Results also suggest that the policy had limited positive effects on parental health

The Effect of Paid Parental Leave on Breastfeeding, Parental Health and Behavior

Little is known about the effects of paid parental leave (in particular fathers' quotas) on parental health and involvement. In this paper, we exploit a reform that took place in the Canadian province of Quebec to address that important topic. In 2006, Quebec opted out of the federal plan and established its own parental insurance plan, named the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP). This program has lowered the eligibility criteria, increased income replacement and introduced fathers' quotas. Using three data sets, we investigate the impact of the QPIP on breastfeeding and parental health and behavior. Our results show that the reform increased breastfeeding duration and parental involvement. Results also suggest that the policy had limited positive effects on parental health

Mathematics Trajectories and Risk Factors During Childhood

In this paper, we use the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth to identify the trajectory of mathematical abilities among Canadian children 7 to 15 years old. We also analyse families and personal characteristics during early childhood that may influence the likelihood of being in one of these abilities groups. We identify three trajectory groups: average abilities (47.6 %), high abilities (30.1 %), and low abilities (22.3 %). Our results also show that maternal education is one of the most important predictors for a low mathematics abilities trajectory. Cognitive score at ages 4 to 5 is also a good indicator of future academic success. Finally, children at risk are those whose parents have low parenting skills

Considerations of the challenges, conflicts and competitions when expanding student-staff partnerships across an institution: perspectives from three UK Universities

In this paper we explore three major challenges for institutional student-staff partnership work. Firstly, we consider the example of partnership that arises from the ownership of a partnership scheme, comparing ownership by a central unit of the university, at local level by departments and shared ownership between the University and Students' Union. Secondly, we consider the importance of inclusivity in such schemes to prevent them exacerbating attainment gaps and undermining democratic processes. Thirdly, we consider the related issue of reward and recognition, considering the tensions created when working with paid ambassadors and student volunteers

The Impact of Universal Child Benefits on Family Health and Behaviours

In 2006, the Universal Child Care Benefit was introduced in Canada for all children aged less than 6 years. This program aims to help cover the cost of children and to provide financial assistance to families with young children in their choice of childcare. We exploit this policy change to estimate the effects of unconditional family cash transfers on the health and behaviours of two-parent families and their children. Using a difference-in-differences model, we find no evidence that the program improved child and parental outcomes in aggregate. A modest but fragile beneficial effect is found for low-education families and for girls

Health Inequalities for Immigrants in Canada : Quebec versus the Rest of Canada

Little is known about immigrant health inequalities in Canada by province. To address this knowledge gap, we compare multiple health indicators among immigrants in Quebec, immigrants in the rest of Canada and Canadian-born individuals. The literature emphasizes that it is more difficult for immigrants in Quebec to integrate into the job market compared to immigrants in other Canadian provinces. There is an important link between the labour market situation of immigrants and their mental and physical health. Our results---obtained from data in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)---show that well-being and health indicators worsen significantly for immigrants in Quebec compared to their counterparts in the rest of Canada and Canadian-born individuals. This is particularly true for mental health and life satisfaction