Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers
Creation-Date: 2012-07-19
Number: 12-074/3
Author-Name: Jose Rosero
Author-Email: J.A.RoseroMoncayo@uva.nl
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Amsterdam
Title: The ABC of Housing Strategies: Are Housing Assistance Programs Effective in Enhancing Children's Well Being?
Abstract: This paper examines the effect of a housing assistance program on school enrollment, child labor and poverty reduction among poor families in Ecuador. Administrative data is merged to a household panel to link the history of a voucher application with socioeconomic information. Two empirical approaches are employed. First, I exploit variation in duration of the different stages to obtain a voucher and convert it into a house, using a sample of approved applicants. Second, I use variation across siblings that arises from the fact that siblings are exposed to the program at different ages. Results show that the program improves enrollment into post-compulsory education, decreases the probability that a child participates in the labor market and reduces the likelihood to live in poverty. Potential mediating factors are increased access to sanitation, better quality materials of the house and a reduced probability to live overcrowded.
Classification-JEL: H53, I28, I38, R21
Keywords: Housing assistance programs, Housing voucher, Children, Fixed Effects, Within family estimators, Developing country, Ecuador
File-Url: https://papers.tinbergen.nl/12074.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 300225 bytes
Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20120074