Child Care Benefits Research Articles

Sphere transgressions in the Dutch digital welfare state: causing harm to citizens when legal rules, ethical norms and quality procedures are lacking

ABSTRACT Welfare states across the world increasingly experiment with the use of big data and algorithms in the name of efficiency gains and fair decision-making. However, recent public scandals in various countries show persistent problems with how digital welfare states operate at the cost of vulnerable populations. Problems include systemic forms of discrimination, increasing levels of surveillance, stigmatization, and restricted access to public benefits. Rather than viewing these problems as instances of technical implementation hurdles, we argue that digital welfare states currently operate in an institutional void in which legal, ethical, and quality procedures are lacking or ill equipped to address new challenges posed by digital technologies. Based on a secondary analysis of documents, we show how this institutional void empirically manifests itself in the Dutch welfare state by zooming in on two subcases that sparked public controversy in recent years: the childcare benefits scandal that focused on fraud detection and the Top 400/Top 600 that was set-up with the aim of crime prevention. By analyzing these cases, we show how sphere transgressions – understood as the encroachment of digital logic into the sphere of social welfare – can have detrimental consequences for citizens when there is an institutional void. We end with reflections on how to fill the current institutional void and identify ‘soft signals’ that could be used as pointers to recognize the potential undesirable consequences of new sphere transgressions.

Expectations for Paternity Leave Among Male Partners in the Postpartum Setting: A Cross-Sectional Survey at a Public Hospital in Los Angeles, California (2023) [ID 2683493

INTRODUCTION: Early paternal involvement in childcare benefits both birthing mothers and their children. Unfortunately, paid paternity leave is neither mandated nor protected at the state and federal levels, leading to wide variations in early paternal involvement. METHODS: As a part of this IRB-approved study, we conducted interviewer-facilitated surveys with English- and Spanish-speaking male partners encountered in the postpartum ward at Los Angeles General Medical Center. The survey queried general sociodemographic factors, employment status, and access to, as well as, planned utilization of paternity leave (both paid and unpaid). We conducted bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regressions to identify factors linked to fathers not taking paternity leave. RESULTS: Most respondents (N=100) identified as Hispanic or Latinx (76.0%), reported English as their primary language (58.0%), and had an average age of 30.6 years. Ninety-three respondents reported being employed; more than half either reported that their workplace did not have a paternity leave policy (39.1%) or being unsure of their workplace’s policy (17.4%). Only 15.2% reported anticipating paternity leave with full pay. Respondents who knew their workplace policies planned to take no more than 3 weeks of leave on average. Respondents had greater odds of not taking paternity leave if non-English speaking (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.39; 95% CI, 0.93–6.16), uninsured (aOR 5.01; 95% CI, 1.26–20.35), or publicly insured (aOR 2.86; 95% CI, 0.95–8.65). CONCLUSION: Male partners in our primarily Hispanic, publicly insured patient population anticipated taking minimal paternity leave, raising questions regarding the role of employee protections or the lack thereof in the face of socioeconomic pressures and cultural differences.

The effects of a universal income transfer on food insecurity within households

Abstract Using the public-use files of the Canadian Community Health Survey and a difference-in-differences methodology, we estimate the impact of a universal income transfer (the Universal Child Care Benefit) on food insecurity, separately for adults and children within households. The income transfer reduced the risk of overall food insecurity by 20% at the child level, and the effect was larger in households with lower education or income. The transfer also reduced the likelihood of moderate/severe food insecurity among adults in single-parent families, as well as adults and children in households with secondary education or less. These findings withstand several robustness checks.

Low female employment rates in South Korea are linked to the gender-specific burden of childrearing

Female employment rates in South Korea are far below those of other countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Despite multiple government policies committed to encouraging continuous employment, only 53% of women in their 30s participated in the labor force in South Korea compared to 72% of women in the U.S. in 2022. Therefore, examining the underlying reasons for lower female employment in Korea is critical. We assessed job satisfaction, job retention, and the underlying factors that impact these variables for both genders and various ages through a survey. Among 291 adult participants (161 women, 130 men) aged 20 to 59, working in various fields, 95% of responders were college graduates. Females tended to be less satisfied with their salaries and benefits than males. Notably, 84% of female responders had considered leaving their companies or transferring to others, while 59% of male responders had considered leaving their companies or transferring to others. Female responders noted childrearing as the most significant (p<0.001) reason they considered leaving their jobs, while male responders noted job dissatisfaction. Interestingly, female participants noted childrearing as a significant reason for leaving their jobs despite the implementation of childcare benefits in 51% and flexible work hour options in 90% of participants’ companies. These results suggest that even highly educated women feel more pressure from an innate sense of responsibility and societal perception to care for children than men.

THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON CHANGES IN THE EMPLOYMENT LEVEL OF PARENTS RECEIVING A CHILD BENEFIT FROM THE FAMILY 500+ PROGRAM IN POLAND

Aim: The aim of the article was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the employment rate of parents receiving a child benefit from the Family 500+ program. Methods: The study used a set of scientific methods, including generalization, theoretical and methodological analysis and synthesis. The real value of the childcare benefit was calculated. Results: The introduction of the “Family 500+” program resulted in an increase in spending on family policy. These transfers contributed to the improvement of the financial situation of the families. Therefore, the role of the child benefit in reducing poverty among families with children is decreasing, which can be seen especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, the total employment rate of parents fell. Households with one child were particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, recommendations were presented for the social policy.

Learning from control deficits in the childcare benefits scandal

Learning from control deficits in the childcare benefits scandal

Investing in the Teacher Workforce: Experimental Evidence on Teachers’ Preferences

Inadequate compensation is often viewed as the root of teacher workforce challenges despite teacher reports that working conditions matter more. Using an original discrete choice experiment with a national sample of 1,030 U.S. teachers, we found that support staff—special education specialists, counselors, and nurses—play an essential role in shaping teachers’ employment preferences. Teachers value access to these support staff more than they value a 10% increase to their own salary. We also assessed teachers’ preferences regarding childcare subsidies and find that teachers treat a 10% salary increase and a childcare benefit of similar value as near perfect substitutes. To test the durability of these findings, we replicated our study 2 years later and found nearly identical results.

‘Unprecedented injustice’: Digitalisation and the perceived accessibility of childcare benefits

Abstract The Netherlands recently experienced a crisis in childcare benefits, leading to ‘unprecedented injustice’ for many parents falsely accused of defrauding the childcare benefit system. This crisis highlights multiple barriers in parents’ ability to access childcare already evident prior to the crisis, including the far-reaching digitalisation of social policies and childcare benefits in particular. Digitalisation can make parents feel childcare services are less accessible, thereby creating or exacerbating existing inequalities in childcare use. Parents may also lack the skills needed to navigate complex application procedures, which can affect their perceived access to childcare benefits, particularly in market-led systems with greater reliance on government benefits to cover the high costs of childcare. Extending recent research on childcare capabilities, we investigate the extent to which digital and functional literacy affect parents’ perceived access to childcare benefits in the Netherlands. The results from our exploratory quantitative analysis provide a starting point for understanding the understudied relationships between digitalisation, parents’ abilities to navigate complex childcare or other policy systems, and their (perceived) ability to access childcare benefits. We use these findings to develop multiple future research recommendations in the childcare policy literature.

Zmenila koronakríza odmeny a zamestnanosť na Slovensku?

The Covid-19 pandemic caused the unprecedent disruption in our lives. The aim of the article is to examine whether Slovak residents felt a change in the amount of income during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they felt worried about a change in their employment at this time.To study these changes, we used the secondary analysis of data about employment and incomes in Slovakia and primary research of Slovak residents.Although unemployment rose and incomes fell during the pandemic, this was only a temporary phenomenon and both indicators returned to pre-pandemic levels. According to the primary result, the majority of Slovak residents did not experience a change in income. Of those whose income decreased, they were largely unemployed and recipients of parental benefits, or child care benefits. On the other hand, the majority of residents were afraid of a change in their employment during the pandemic, regardless of age, gender, education or household structure.

From Home to Corner Office: How Work–Life Programs Influence Women's Managerial Representation in Japan

Although researchers have suggested that work–life programs (WLPs) help increase the representation of women in management (WIM), stigmatization and gender stereotyping can prevent this beneficial effect. We adopt a contingency approach by taking the roles of time, gender context, and the purposes of different practices into consideration and examine the effects of WLPs on WIM longitudinally. Our analysis of a sample of Japanese public firms spanning 14 years addresses endogeneity concerns and shows that: (1) increases in WLPs are weakly associated with subsequent increases in the proportion of WIM within firms; (2) this positive effect is stronger in organizations where the percentage of female employees is growing; and (3) there is no evidence to suggest an effect in the opposite direction. We further propose different temporal patterns by which the effects of flexibility practices (e.g., remote work) and resource practices (e.g., childcare benefits) emerge due to the varying degree of changes in job structures and work norms involved in their implementation. Our analysis provides supportive evidence that the effects of flexibility practices that require more changes inconveniencing decision-makers, users, and coworkers take longer to emerge compared to resource practices that incur fewer changes and inconveniences. These findings contribute to a more detailed understanding of the WLPs–WIM relationship and offer insights for research on WLPs and women's career advancement.

Paid Parental Leave in Correlation with Changing Gender Role Attitudes

In recent decades, several countries have implemented paid parental leave for parents. This paper discusses the correlation between paid parental leave—which in Austria corresponds with receiving childcare benefits—and changing gender role attitudes in different-gender parent couples. It draws on evidence from 42 semi-structured couple interviews (n = 42, 2021–2022) in which couples were asked how they arranged childcare, employment, and household chores and how they reached agreements with employers. The empirical data were first analyzed based on content and then by applying constructivist-informed grounded theory to investigate whether and how gender affected couples’ efforts to reconcile childcare, employment, and household chores and how employers responded to parental arrangements that challenged traditional gender role attitudes. Compared to other countries, Austria offers rather generous childcare benefits, including long leave periods. In addition, Austria has introduced a partnership bonus for parents who share childcare benefits 50:50 or 60:40. However, the number of couples who take advantage of these benefits is still low. In the presented research, parents who succeeded in sharing these childcare benefits were interviewed. All interviewees had taken at least five months of paid parental leave. The data were analyzed using a content-oriented approach and by applying informed grounded theory. The results show that a substantial number of fathers continued working in minor employment while receiving childcare benefits, in line with the prevailing assumption among employers that the man is the main family breadwinner. By contrast, mothers had to strongly insist that they could continue working during the early transition to parenthood. However, on an individual level and in specific domains, Austrian parents were able to successfully overcome traditional gender inequalities in reconciling work and family with the support of the newly implemented childcare benefits. The observation that in Austria, the share of fathers who take the income-related form of parental leave is higher than that of fathers who claim other forms of childcare benefits points to the importance of all parents having access to well-compensated parental leave, regardless of their income level before the birth of a child.

Effects of Child Tax Benefits on Poverty and Labor Supply: Evidence from the Canada Child Benefit and Universal Child Care Benefit

We investigate whether child tax benefits reduce child poverty and labor force participation among single mothers within the context of the 2015 expansion of the Canadian Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) and the 2016 introduction of the Canada Child Benefit (CCB). We compare single mothers to single childless women as single mothers have historically had the highest poverty rates. Our analysis indicates that both reforms reduced child poverty, although the Canada Child Benefit had the greater effect. We find no evidence of a labor supply response to either of the program reforms on either the extensive or intensive margins.

Gender Diversity Management Practices in the Hotel Industry: An Analysis of Philippine Hotel Industry

This study endeavors to investigate the gender diversity management practices (DMPs) in the hotel industry of and the considerable effect of gender, inclusion or exclusion, on hotel employees' perceptions of those practices in Philippine. A quantitative method using personal administered survey was employed and total 300 above questionnaires were sent online to the staff working in the 4–5-star hotels in Manila and only 185 usable questionnaires received. The findings indicated that young, female hotel staff made up the majority. A significant number of hotels were successful in implementing DMPs, and the staff members were conscious of how their employers were working to give both genders the same opportunity for recruiting, decision-making, development and training, a raise, and remuneration. However, the study additionally revealed that the strategy employed by hotel businesses to assist their staff members in balancing their professional and familial responsibilities may contribute in impeding instead of advancing gender parity. Specifically, the study found that hotel companies often offered childcare benefits and flexible work arrangements, but these benefits were not always accessible to all employees. The findings of this research indicate that hotel corporations need to take further steps to make sure that their DMPs are successful and do not obstruct gender parity.

Feeding Utopia

“Household food insecurity refers to the inadequate or insecure access to food because of financial constraints” (Tarasuk & Mitchell, 2020). More than 4 million Canadians are affected by food insecurity (McIntyre, et al., 2016; Tarasuk & Mitchell, 2020). Social factors such as income, are more significant determinants of food security and health than lifestyle choices (Mikkonen & Raphael, 2010). A Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a financial allowance granted to all working age citizens which ensures that there is a minimum income level, regardless of current or previous employment status (Forget, 2018). The available UBI research and similar programs such as the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) and Old Age Security (OAS) have been shown to reduce food insecurity (McIntyre, et al., 2016, Brown & Tarasuk, 2019). This paper investigates how a Canadian Universal Basic Income could impact food insecurity by acting on the most influential determinant of health: income.

“A win-win for all of us": COVID-19 sheds light on the essentialness of child care as key infrastructure

Child care centers in the United States allow many parents and caregivers to work in and outside of the home and support the growth and development of children. Child care closures and COVID-19 mitigation measures at the onset of the pandemic heightened the need for and awareness of the role of child care as core infrastructure. The purpose of our study was to examine the perceived role and benefits of child care based on the lived experiences of parents/caregivers and staff navigating child care during the pandemic. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with parents/caregivers (n = 20) of children who attended child care and staff (n = 12) who were working at child care programs in Ohio from September to November 2020. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed through the lens of four frameworks (i.e., capabilities, developmental, economics, and mutualism) related to child well-being. Our results highlight the perceived value of child care (a) for fostering capabilities and developmental growth in children; (b) for providing economic benefits for children, parents, and staff of child care programs; and (c) as an essential infrastructure that mutually benefits children, parents, families, staff, and the community. Findings support existing evidence regarding the broader impacts of child care and further investigation into the role of child care. We highlight the potential need for further investments in policies, resources, and supports for child care that reflects its essentialness and generative role.

Can Early Childhood Education Be Compensatory? Examining the Benefits of Child Care Among Children Who Experience Neglect

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Children that experience neglect are at risk for maladaptive outcomes. One potential resource for these children is early childhood education (ECE), but there is currently limited evidence which is compounded by data limitations. This study used data from the National Study of Child and Adolescent Well-being II (N = 1,385) to compare children’s cognitive and social-emotional outcomes among children involved in child protective services that experienced either no care, informal care, or formal care, as well as moderation by type of neglect. Results suggest that ECE was related to increased cognitive and social skills and decreased behavior problems, depending on whether the child attended informal or formal care, with some associations being stronger for children that experienced neglect. Practice or Policy: These findings documenting the benefits of ECE have important implications for practitioners and policymakers in the intersection of ECE and child protective services.

Male Involvement in Maternity Care And Birth Preparedness Of Their Spouse

Lack of involvement in maternity care by male is a major public health issue and it is most neglected aspect of health in Pakistan .although males are involved in every decision making for female and children’s for health care facilities. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to select 461 male Participants a Systematic random sampling technique was used. Ethical approval was taken from Ethical Review Committee. The information collected by interview to assess the involvement of male. The data collection tool comprised of two parts demographic variable and maternity and birth preparedness related variables. The mean, standard deviation and percentage, was calculated and know the association and chi-square test applied for data analyze. Results: Mean age of male was 35.3 years S.D ±6.6, less than half of the participants (42.3%) were illiterate followed by primary (23.2%), middle (18.9%), and Matric (10.4%), above Matric (5.2%). Husbands were main decision makers for maternity care and place of birth (92.6%) followed by fathers (6.1%) and brothers (1.3%). During the antenatal visits 41.6% men had accompanied their spouses or women for antenatal visits but there is 58.4% men not accompany their spouses or women for antenatal visits. Conclusion: Male involvement in maternal care and birth preparedness is not appropriate enough and knowledge related complication and labor, about overall maternal and child health and complications of pregnancy and labor, level of education, encouragement of their spouses, are the decisive factors in availing the benefits of maternal and child care

Public childcare benefits children and mothers: Evidence from a nationwide experiment in a developing country

This paper evaluates a public childcare program for children ages 0–4 in poor urban areas in Nicaragua. Our identification strategy exploits the program’s neighborhood-level randomization as exogenous variation to tackle imperfect compliance with the original treatment assignments. We find a positive impact of 0.38 standard deviations on socio-emotional skills and a 12-percentage-point increase on mothers’ work, which makes the program highly cost-effective. We do not find evidence of substantial heterogeneity of impacts across observed or unobserved household characteristics, and we present suggestive evidence of the importance of center quality for generating positive impacts.

Crisiscommunicatie of communicatiecrisis?

Crisis communication or communication crisis? Dysfunctional patterns during internal online discussions about the benefits affair In 2019 it became clear that the Dutch tax authorities had wrongly reclaimed childcare benefits on a large scale, with major consequences for the parents involved. The benefits affair also meant a crisis for the tax authorities. Disruptive events in an organization can lead to what Karl Weick calls a ‘collapse of meaning’: a situation in which people no longer experience their (organizational) reality as logical, consistent and morally acceptable. In such a period people look for meaning, cohesion and identity. This study is about the role of narratives in an organization in dealing with an organizational crisis. We analyzed internal online narratives at the tax authorities about the allowance affair. Our analysis shows, among other things, how identity questions put other questions out of sight and how patterns in the interactions between administrators and employees reinforce certain dysfunctional narratives. Our findings show the importance of an active listening policy and the exemplary role that managers play in this.

Human–AI Interactions in Public Sector Decision Making: “Automation Bias” and “Selective Adherence” to Algorithmic Advice

Abstract Artificial intelligence algorithms are increasingly adopted as decisional aides by public bodies, with the promise of overcoming biases of human decision-makers. At the same time, they may introduce new biases in the human–algorithm interaction. Drawing on psychology and public administration literatures, we investigate two key biases: overreliance on algorithmic advice even in the face of “warning signals” from other sources (automation bias), and selective adoption of algorithmic advice when this corresponds to stereotypes (selective adherence). We assess these via three experimental studies conducted in the Netherlands: In study 1 (N = 605), we test automation bias by exploring participants’ adherence to an algorithmic prediction compared to an equivalent human-expert prediction. We do not find evidence for automation bias. In study 2 (N = 904), we replicate these findings, and also test selective adherence. We find a stronger propensity for adherence when the advice is aligned with group stereotypes, with no significant differences between algorithmic and human-expert advice. In study 3 (N = 1,345), we replicate our design with a sample of civil servants. This study was conducted shortly after a major scandal involving public authorities’ reliance on an algorithm with discriminatory outcomes (the “childcare benefits scandal”). The scandal is itself illustrative of our theory and patterns diagnosed empirically in our experiment, yet in our study 3, while supporting our prior findings as to automation bias, we do not find patterns of selective adherence. We suggest this is driven by bureaucrats’ enhanced awareness of discrimination and algorithmic biases in the aftermath of the scandal. We discuss the implications of our findings for public sector decision making in the age of automation. Overall, our study speaks to potential negative effects of automation of the administrative state for already vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens.