The International Monetary Fund’s intervention in education systems and its impact on children’s chances of completing school

Enabling children to acquire an education is one of the most effective means to reduce inequality, poverty, and ill-health globally. While in normal times a government controls its educational policies, during times of macroeconomic instability, that control may shift to supporting international organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While much research has focused on which sectors has been affected by IMF policies, scholars have devoted little attention to the policy content of IMF interventions affecting the education sector and children’s education outcomes: denoted IMF-education policies. This article evaluates the extent which IMF-education policies exist in all programs and how these policies and IMF programs affect children’s likelihood of completing schools. While IMF-education policies have a small adverse effect yet statistically insignificant on children’s probability of completing school, these policies moderate effect heterogeneity for IMF programs. The effect of IMF programs (joint set of policies) adversely effect children’s chances of completing school by six percentage points. By analyzing how IMF-education policies but also how IMF programs affect the education sector in low- and middle-income countries, scholars will gain a deeper understanding of how such policies will likely affect downstream outcomes.

GENDER GAPS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EDUCATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CLUSTERS OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

In European countries, the gender gap in entrepreneurship is persistently observed because females make up on average 30 percent of entrepreneurs. The aim of the paper is to investigate the impact of gender gaps in education at different levels (youth, higher education, adult learning and STEM education) on the gender gap in entrepreneurship, both in all analyzed European countries and in identified clusters of countries. The research is based on the cluster analysis and regression modelling of yearly panel data for 31 European countries for the period 2013–2018. Generally speaking, to the same extent, the gender gap in entrepreneurship can be explained by the gender gap in educational outcomes at different levels, mostly in early leavers and in STEM education. However, European countries are not monolithic in these aspects, as four clusters of countries are identified. Relationships between the gender gaps strongly depend on the country’s characteristics. In countries with a relatively lower level of female entrepreneurship and their education outcomes, the gender gap in entrepreneurship is affected the most significant in comparison to other clusters, by gender gaps in early leavers, higher education and STEM education. However, in clusters of countries with relatively moderate or high levels of female entrepreneurship and education outcomes, their relationships are rather limited.

The Impacts Of A Free Health Insurance Policy In Vietnam

<p>Social Health Insurance (SHI) is promoted as a policy that tackles the impoverishing effects of catastrophic spending that results from unexpected health shocks. This thesis contributes to the literature on the impact of social health insurance by examining the impact of a policy introduced in Vietnam in 2005. The new policy provided free health insurance for all children under six years. Using a difference-in-difference estimation strategy and eight national household surveys conducted between 2002 and 2016, I examine a variety of direct, indirect, and spill over effects of the policy. The direct effects of the policy are on insurance coverage, health care use, health care expenses, and self-reported morbidity of targeted children. The indirect effects are the persistent effects of the policy on the same set of health outcomes (and education outcomes) beyond the period of exposure to the policy. A third set of impacts cover spill over effects of the policy - on the health and education outcomes of older children living with targeted children, and a variety of household-level outcomes that reflect various dimensions of the wellbeing of household members. The results show that a free health insurance policy for young children has significant impacts on the health outcomes of children while they are covered by the policy and these persist, and also extend to educational outcomes beyond the age of eligibility. The policy also has positive spill over effects on older (untargeted) children living in targeted households, and positive effects on household wage income, and income per capita. On the other hand, the policy has no effects on the standard of living, household health expenditure, caloric consumption, and the likelihood of household spending on catastrophic healthcare.</p>

The Impacts Of A Free Health Insurance Policy In Vietnam

<p>Social Health Insurance (SHI) is promoted as a policy that tackles the impoverishing effects of catastrophic spending that results from unexpected health shocks. This thesis contributes to the literature on the impact of social health insurance by examining the impact of a policy introduced in Vietnam in 2005. The new policy provided free health insurance for all children under six years. Using a difference-in-difference estimation strategy and eight national household surveys conducted between 2002 and 2016, I examine a variety of direct, indirect, and spill over effects of the policy. The direct effects of the policy are on insurance coverage, health care use, health care expenses, and self-reported morbidity of targeted children. The indirect effects are the persistent effects of the policy on the same set of health outcomes (and education outcomes) beyond the period of exposure to the policy. A third set of impacts cover spill over effects of the policy - on the health and education outcomes of older children living with targeted children, and a variety of household-level outcomes that reflect various dimensions of the wellbeing of household members. The results show that a free health insurance policy for young children has significant impacts on the health outcomes of children while they are covered by the policy and these persist, and also extend to educational outcomes beyond the age of eligibility. The policy also has positive spill over effects on older (untargeted) children living in targeted households, and positive effects on household wage income, and income per capita. On the other hand, the policy has no effects on the standard of living, household health expenditure, caloric consumption, and the likelihood of household spending on catastrophic healthcare.</p>

A Scoping Review of Youth Caregivers: Addressing the Needs of This Growing Population

Generation Z, those who are born in 1997 or thereafter, account for six percent of the estimated 53 million family caregivers in the US – and this percentage is growing, especially given the health impacts of the pandemic. This review focuses on caregiving youth (ages 0-18) and young adult caregivers (ages 18-25) who assist household members who need regular assistance with ADLs and IADLs. This presentation will analyze key trends in the literature of this demographic and identify gaps in research. Our review broadens the knowledge base of how caregiving done by this population impacts brain development, and hence their long term physical, emotional, and mental health. In spite of the significant number of caregiving youth and young adults, current publications on these demographics remain sparse, with most studies being conducted on spousal and adult caregivers. Our group found that the existing literature reviewed the adverse implications on the health and education outcomes for young adult caregivers. This included increased anxiety/depression compared to non-caregivers and for those in post-secondary education, the contribution of caregiving to college incompletion. There are no known studies on this population who have entered the workforce and who also continue their caregiving role. Adequate understanding and characterization of caregiving youth and young adult caregivers will inform better interventions and future policy for them. Support for this demographic, in turn, may improve health outcomes for older adults, who are the majority of those in their care.

What are young Pacific peoples understandings of leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand?

<p>This thesis is an exploration of the way leadership is understood by young Pacific peoples. It looks at the possible relationship between leadership and education outcomes for young Pacific peoples. It is located in an interpretative paradigm, and uses qualitative methods and seeks phenomenological date. This is because individuals interpret experiences differently, therefore understanding how these young Pacific people interpret ideas can help answer the thesis question. As Pacific research it foregrounds Pacific concepts such as vā and Pacific methods such as talanoa. These features seek to alignment with the community participating in the study. The findings suggest that young Pacific peoples understand leadership as a negotiation between Pacific and Western ideas. This negotiation is performed contextually. However, young Pacific peoples are also redefining leadership for themselves and a way they are doing this is by combining their Pacific and Western understandings of leadership. From the research there were three implications found for young Pacific peoples. Firstly, too much focus on culture can become a problem. Secondly, the different contexts that young Pacific peoples are being raised in influences their leadership beliefs, especially compared to the older generation. Lastly, young Pacific peoples need to receive recognition for their ability to negotiate ideas between the Pacific and Western worlds. Therefore, recommendations for future research come under two main categories environment. This is focused on rethinking leadership, firstly for young Pacific peoples in New Zealand-Pacific context, then rethinking for young Pacific peoples in a Western context. The second recommendation discusses ways to improve leadership development programs for young Pacific peoples in New Zealand.</p>