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The international child poverty gap: does demography matter?
Patrick Heuveline1, Matthew Weinshenker
1Population Research Center, University of Chicago, USA. heuveline@soc.ucla.edu
Demography
|April 9, 2008
Summary
The U.S. has the second-highest child poverty rate among high-income nations. Differences in labor markets and welfare systems, not family structures, primarily explain this gap.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Economics
- Demography
Background:
- The U.S. exhibits a high child poverty rate compared to other high-income nations.
- Single-female-headed households without other adults have the highest child poverty rates in the U.S.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contribution of demographic factors to child poverty rates.
- To compare U.S. child poverty rates and their determinants with 14 other high-income nations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Luxembourg Income Study data.
- Applied a demographic decomposition technique to analyze the poverty gap.
Main Results:
- Demographic factors contribute minimally to the U.S. child poverty gap compared to other nations.
- Labor market differences and welfare schemes are the primary drivers of the U.S. child poverty gap.
- Governmental transfers and market earnings gradients influence poverty gaps in various countries.
Conclusions:
- Policy interventions should focus on labor market and welfare system reforms to address U.S. child poverty.
- Demographic shifts alone do not account for the high child poverty rates in the United States.
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