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Can non-contributory pensions decrease food vulnerability? The case of Mexico

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Juarez

    (El Colegio de México)

  • Tobias Pfutze

    (Florida International University)

Abstract

Providing age-based non-contributory pensions to the elderly has become a common policy in many middle-income countries. The rationale behind these programs is to protect beneficiaries, who do not qualify for a contributory pension, from extreme poverty once they are too frail to earn a living. This paper analyzes whether one such program, Mexico’s 70 y Más, had any effect on the food vulnerability of the elderly. Using the age and locality size cutoffs for eligibility, we find negative and significant effects on food vulnerability for single elderly men, especially for those in the lower wealth quintiles. While the results for single elderly women are of the same sign, they are small in magnitude and not statistically significant. We also find negative and significant effects on the food vulnerability for the poorest elderly couples.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Juarez & Tobias Pfutze, 2020. "Can non-contributory pensions decrease food vulnerability? The case of Mexico," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1865-1882, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:empeco:v:59:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s00181-019-01702-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s00181-019-01702-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Galiani, Sebastian & Gertler, Paul & Bando, Rosangela, 2016. "Non-contributory pensions," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 47-58.
    2. Laura Juarez & Tobias Pfutze, 2015. "The Effects of a Noncontributory Pension Program on Labor Force Participation: The Case of 70 y Más in Mexico," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 63(4), pages 685-713.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pensions; Social protection; Food vulnerability; Mexico;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D04 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Policy: Formulation; Implementation; Evaluation
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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