We study the impact on children of increasing maternity leave benefits using a reform that increased paid and unpaid maternity leave in Norway in July 1977. Mothers giving birth before this date were eligible only for 12 weeks of unpaid leave, while those giving birth after were entitled to 4...

Parental leave regulations in most OECD countries have two key policy instruments: job protection and cash benefits. This paper studies how mothers' return to work behavior and labor market outcomes are affected by alternative mixes of these key policy parameters. Exploiting a series of major...

The study at hand pursues the following question: How are national parental leave arrangements related to fathers' participation in and time used for childcare? To answer this question, we merge data from the Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS) with national parental leave characteristics....

Parental leave regulations in most OECD countries have two key policy instruments: job protection and cash benefits. This paper studies how mothers' return to work behavior and labor market outcomes are affected by alternative mixes of these key policy parameters. Exploiting a series of major...

This paper shows how family policies aimed at reconciling the pressures of family and work generate substantial variation in labour market outcomes across developed countries. We use a life-cycle model of female labour supply and savings behaviour, calibrated to the US economy, to assess the...

The economic and psychological literatures have demonstrated that early investments (private and public) in children can significantly increase cognitive outcomes in the short and long term and contribute to success later in life. One of the most important of these inputs is maternal time....

Parental leave regulations in most OECD countries have two key policy instruments: job protection and cash benefits. This paper studies how mothers return to work behavior and labor market outcomes are affected by alternative mixes of these key policy parameters. Exploiting a series of major...

This study investigates the causal effect of earnings-related parental leave benefits (Elterngeld) on subjective well-being of young mothers. The new subsidy was introduced in 2007, and replaced a former means-tested benefit (Erziehungsgeld). The reform changed the total amount of benefits as...

We study the relationship between the length of maternity leave and the physical and psychological health of the family. Using a reform of the parental leave scheme in Denmark that increased the number of weeks of leave with full benefit compensation, we estimate the effect of the length of...

Die vorliegende Studie stellt den aktuellen Stand der Forschung zu Wirkungen des Elterngeldes auf das Geburtenverhalten vor. Zunächst werden die ökonomischen Anreize des Elterngeldes und deren potenzielle Wirkungen auf die Fertilität aus theoretischer Sicht analysiert. Danach werden...