Essays in applied microeconomics

Chapter 1: Can Institutional Factors Affect Intergenerational Family Transfers? This study investigates the impact of Seguro Popular, a Mexican public health insurance program, on intergenerational transfers. I implement a machine learning propensity score matching difference-in-difference approach to estimate causal effects. I find the enrollment in Seguro Popular increases the probability of older adults receiving monetary transfers from their children by 9−10%, does not change the likelihood of receiving non-monetary transfers, and increases the amount of monetary transfers. By contrast, the participation in Seguro Popular decreases the probability of downward monetary transfers by 8 − 9% and their amount, without affecting the probability of downward non-monetary transfers. These findings contribute to the ongoing debate about how public interventions affect family support dynamics, suggesting a “crowding in” effect with public and private transfers being complementary rather than substitutes. I argue that changes in intergenerational co-residency status drive these results. Chapter 2: The Effect of Monetary Losses Due to Weather Shocks on Food Security in Malawi: A Subjective Approach This paper investigates the effect of extreme weather shocks on food security in Malawi for the period 2010-2016. The paper uses the household’s subjective assessments of life satisfaction in four domains to quantify a monetary equivalent of the losses due to weather shocks. Then, the paper uses those estimates to investigate how the estimated income losses due to weather shocks affect food security. The main findings show that income losses associated with weather shocks are correlated with a worsening in the food security indicators. There are interesting differences across indicators. While the estimates for the Food Consumption Score and the Household Dietary Diversity are in the expected direction but not significant, the estimates for Reduced Coping Strategies Index are positive and strongly significant as one would have expected. I also argue that these findings have important policy applications to decrease food insecurity in the case of adverse shocks. Chapter 3: Father’s Living Arrangements and their Implications for Children’s Health and Education in Nicaragua This study investigates the effects of various father’s living arrangements on children’s health and educational outcomes within Nicaragua’s distinct sociocultural context, marked by multipartner fertility and specific cultural norms. Using data from the Nicaraguan Demographic and Health Survey (ENDESA) for 2006-2007 and 2011-2012, we examine the effect of a father’s status in the household structure on several child health indicators (Height for Age (HAZ), Weight for Height (WHZ), Weight for Age (WAZ), Stunting, Wasting, and Underweight) for children under five, as well as educational outcomes for children aged 12-14. Through Probit regression and OLS analyses, complemented by a detailed marital calendar for accurately measuring father status, we uncover patterns indicating the significant role fathers play in child well-being, particularly among poorer or rural Nicaraguan families. Results show that children not living with their biological fathers perform worse in health and education, emphasizing the critical consideration of father’s living arrangements in policy formulation. This study not only contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the impacts of household structure and cultural norms on child well-being but also underscores the importance of employing robust analytical techniques to fully understand these complex relationships.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agricultural & Applied Econ

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Saenz Amaguaya, Mayra Alejandra

Contributors dc:contributor

• Arends-Kuenning, Mary
• Michelson, Hope
• Herrera, Catalina
• Andrade, Flavia

• Seguro Popular
• Upward And Downward Monetary And Non-monetary Intergenerational Transfers
• Weather Shocks
• Income Equivalent
• Fatherhood
• Household Structures
• Children’s Outcomes
• Health
• Education
• Single Motherhood.

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Mayra Saenz

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124582

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124582