{"title":"Paid family leave and the fight against hunger: Evidence from New York","authors":"Jiyoon Kim, Otto Lenhart","doi":"10.1002/hec.4818","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>We examine the effects of New York's paid family leave (PFL) policy, introduced in January 2018, on food security. While researchers evaluating PFL policies in the past have mostly focused on employment and health outcomes, we believe that an improved understanding of potential impacts on food security is pivotal as it is directly related to the health and well-being of mothers and new-borns during the postnatal months. Our analysis uses two primary data sets—Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS) and Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Estimating difference-in-differences and triple difference models, we show that New York's PFL reduced the prevalence of low food security by 36% in both datasets. The positive effects are more sizable for households with low-educated heads and families with incomes under 185% of the Federal Poverty Line. These findings highlight that paid leave benefits lead to a larger reduction in food insecurity among disadvantaged families and thus have the potential to reduce existing societal inequalities. When examining potential mechanisms through which New York's PFL law improves food security, we show that the policy increased food expenditures, increased labor force participation, particularly by mothers, and improved parental health.</p>","PeriodicalId":12847,"journal":{"name":"Health economics","volume":"33 7","pages":"1503-1527"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Health economics","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.4818","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
We examine the effects of New York's paid family leave (PFL) policy, introduced in January 2018, on food security. While researchers evaluating PFL policies in the past have mostly focused on employment and health outcomes, we believe that an improved understanding of potential impacts on food security is pivotal as it is directly related to the health and well-being of mothers and new-borns during the postnatal months. Our analysis uses two primary data sets—Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS) and Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Estimating difference-in-differences and triple difference models, we show that New York's PFL reduced the prevalence of low food security by 36% in both datasets. The positive effects are more sizable for households with low-educated heads and families with incomes under 185% of the Federal Poverty Line. These findings highlight that paid leave benefits lead to a larger reduction in food insecurity among disadvantaged families and thus have the potential to reduce existing societal inequalities. When examining potential mechanisms through which New York's PFL law improves food security, we show that the policy increased food expenditures, increased labor force participation, particularly by mothers, and improved parental health.
我们研究了纽约于 2018 年 1 月推出的带薪家庭假(PFL)政策对粮食安全的影响。虽然过去评估带薪家庭假政策的研究人员大多关注就业和健康结果,但我们认为,更好地了解对食品安全的潜在影响至关重要,因为这直接关系到母亲和新生儿在产后几个月的健康和福祉。我们的分析使用了两个主要数据集--当前人口调查食品安全补充数据(CPS-FSS)和收入动态面板研究(Panel Study of Income Dynamics)。通过估算差异模型和三重差异模型,我们发现在这两个数据集中,纽约的 PFL 将低粮食安全的发生率降低了 36%。对于户主受教育程度低的家庭和收入低于联邦贫困线 185% 的家庭而言,其积极影响更为显著。这些发现突出表明,带薪休假福利使弱势家庭的粮食不安全程度大幅降低,从而有可能减少现有的社会不平等现象。在研究纽约带薪休假法改善食品安全的潜在机制时,我们发现该政策增加了食品支出,提高了劳动力参与率,尤其是母亲的参与率,并改善了父母的健康状况。
期刊介绍:
This Journal publishes articles on all aspects of health economics: theoretical contributions, empirical studies and analyses of health policy from the economic perspective. Its scope includes the determinants of health and its definition and valuation, as well as the demand for and supply of health care; planning and market mechanisms; micro-economic evaluation of individual procedures and treatments; and evaluation of the performance of health care systems.
Contributions should typically be original and innovative. As a rule, the Journal does not include routine applications of cost-effectiveness analysis, discrete choice experiments and costing analyses.
Editorials are regular features, these should be concise and topical. Occasionally commissioned reviews are published and special issues bring together contributions on a single topic. Health Economics Letters facilitate rapid exchange of views on topical issues. Contributions related to problems in both developed and developing countries are welcome.