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Preventing Child Maltreatment: Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare Provision

Author

Listed:
  • Stephan L. Thomsen
  • Malte Sandner
  • Libertad González

Abstract

We investigate the impact of public childcare provision on the incidence of child maltreatment. For identification, we exploit a government reform that expanded early childcare in Germany, generating large temporal and spatial variation in childcare coverage at the county level. Using high-quality administrative data covering all reported cases of child maltreatment in Germany by county and year, our results show that an increase in childcare slots by one percentage point in a county led to a decline of 1.8% in child maltreatment cases. Our findings suggest that the provision of universal public childcare may be more cost-effective that previously thought.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephan L. Thomsen & Malte Sandner & Libertad González, 2020. "Preventing Child Maltreatment: Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare Provision," Working Papers 1207, Barcelona School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:bge:wpaper:1207
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    Cited by:

    1. Jonas Jessen & Christa Katharina Spieß & Sevrin Waights, 2022. "Centre‐Based Care and Parenting Activities," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 84(6), pages 1356-1379, December.
    2. Mara Barschkett, 2022. "Age-specific Effects of Early Daycare on Children's Health," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 2028, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Baertsch, Laurenz & Sandner, Malte, 2025. "Reducing the child penalty by incentivizing maternal part-time work?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    4. Stephan L. Thomsen & Johannes Trunzer, 2024. "Did the Bologna Process Challenge the German Apprenticeship System? Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(4), pages 635-667.
    5. Marina Krauß & Niklas Rot, 2024. "Early Childcare Expansion and Maternal Health," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1208, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    6. Mara Barschkett, 2022. "Age-specific Effects of Early Daycare on Children’s Health," Berlin School of Economics Discussion Papers 0005, Berlin School of Economics.
    7. Sandner, Malte & Bärtsch, Laurenz, 2023. "Reducing the Child Penalty by Incentivizing Part-Time Work? Evidence from a Paid Parental Leave Reform in Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277702, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. Dan Anderberg & Christina Olympiou, 2023. "Children's social care and early intervention policy: Evidence from sure start," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(359), pages 953-977, July.
    9. Barschkett, Mara, 2023. "Age-specific Effects of Early Daycare on Children's Health," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277588, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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