Do social investment policies promote employment among the vulnerable? A case of single mothers
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
ISSN: 0144-333X
Article publication date: 15 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate whether social investment (SI) policies improve employment among single mothers.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyzes the potential effects of SI policies on vulnerable individuals and workers at the macro level by using the employment position of single mothers as a dependent variable. Time-series cross-national data from 18 OECD countries between 1998 and 2017 are analyzed. Multilevel model analysis is also used for robustness check.
Findings
I find that public spending on education and family support is positively associated with the employment rates of single mothers. In contrast, active labor market policy (ALMP) spending is negatively associated. ALMP’s negative effects stand out particularly with public spending on job training. Of all family support policies, family allowances are positively associated with single mothers’ employment, which runs counter to the conventional argument that family allowances are a disincentive for women’s or mothers’ employment. Paid leave (length and generosity) is also associated with higher employment for single mothers. There is also some tentative evidence that public spending on maternity leave benefits (spending level) may raise the odds of single mothers being employed, when individual-level factors are controlled for in multilevel analysis we implement for robustness check.
Research limitations/implications
This paper does not analyze the effects of the qualitative properties of SI policies. Future research is necessary in this respect.
Originality/value
The effects of SI policies on employment among single mothers have not yet been examined in the literature. This paper seeks to be a first cut at measuring the effects.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, April 2023. I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and editor for helpful comments and suggestions. I particularly thank Sebastian Kripfganz for his help with the use of the Luxembourg Income Study Database. This research was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (21K01300).
Citation
Sakamoto, T. (2024), "Do social investment policies promote employment among the vulnerable? A case of single mothers", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-08-2023-0194
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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