Non-Contributory Pensions Number-Gender Effects on Poverty and Household Decisions

Miguel Ángel Borrella Mas (), Mariano Bosch and Marcello Sartarelli
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Miguel Ángel Borrella Mas: Dpto. Fundamentos del Análisis Económico

Working Papers. Serie AD from Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie)

Abstract: Non-contributory pensions, designed to reduce old-age poverty particularly in countries with low contributory coverage, may induce a variety of household behavioural responses. This paper tests whether they vary with beneficiaries number and gender in Bolivia, one of the countries with the lowest contributory coverage worldwide. Taking advantage of a discontinuity in eligibility at age 60 in the Renta Dignidad pension, we estimate these effects by using a bi-dimensional regression discontinuity design, with spouses' age as forcing variables. We find that, despite increasing income, the impact on poverty is mixed and not significant. Although potentially puzzling, this is rationalised by household responses. When receiving two pensions, household size increases due to beneficiaries' adult children working in the household and to grandchildren. In addition, female labour supply decreases weakly. When receiving one, instead, transfers to other households increase only if the beneficiary is male. Our results suggest that variation in beneficiaries number and gender plays a relevant role in explaining pension positive spillovers to households with no elderly.

Keywords: Consumption; labour supply; living arrangements; poverty; regression discontinuity; Renta Dignidad; social pension (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 H2 J22 J26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 54 pages
Date: 2016-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age and nep-lma
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ivi:wpasad:2016-02

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