author: Hojman, A., & López Bóo, F. year: 2019 title: Cost-Effective Public Daycare in a Low-Income Economy Benefits Children and Mothers publisher: Inter-American Development Bank uri: https://doi.org/10.18235/0001849 discipline: development country: Nicaragua period: 2013-2015 maxlength: 24 targeting: implicit group: poor mothers data: baseline survey and 12-month follow-up survey design: experimental method: RCT; instrumental variable; marginal treatment effects sample: 1442 unit: individual representativeness: subnational, urban causal: 1 # 0 correlation / 1 causal theory: limitations: effect on employment is insignificant with IV on randomization alone; relatively small overall sample observation: - intervention: maternity benefits institutional: 0 structural: 1 agency: 1 inequality: gender; generational; income type: 1 # 0 vertical / 1 horizontal indicator: 1 # 0 absolute / 1 relative measures: employment; human capital findings: free childcare significantly increases work participation of mothers (14ppts); increases human capital of children channels: subsidy removes associated childcare costs (fewer childcare hours) direction: 1 # 0 neg / 1 pos significance: 2 # 0 nsg / 1 mfg / 2 cig notes: annotation: | An experimental study looking at the effects of providing free childcare for poor urban mothers in Nicaragua under the 'Programo Urbano', looking at the effects on inequality for mothers and children. It finds that providing free childcare for young children of poor mothers significantly increases the employment probability of the mothers (14ppts) independently of the childcare quality. It also finds significantly positive impacts on the human capital of the children, though dependent on the quality of childcare facilities. This suggests childcare costs being removed through a quasi-subsidy reducing the required childcare time burden on mothers, increasing parental agency and employment choices. Some limitations to the study include a relatively small overall sample size, as well as employment effects becoming insignificant when the effect is measured on randomization alone (without an additional instrumental variable).