1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This dissertation studies and identifies determinants of individual health.» (p. ii) This dissertation contains three articles, only the last one is discussed here. «The final chapter of this dissertation analyzes the extent to which the early childhood environment affects child health and development. In particular, I analyze the impact of a universal childcare policy in Quebec on the distributions of child health and development outcomes, testing if it leveled the playing field across children.» (p. 149)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The data used in this study come from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), a nationally representative Canadian survey which collects detailed information on children’s development and environment from birth through adulthood. It is produced by Statistics Canada.» (p. 99)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«I find that there is little heterogeneity in the response to the universal childcare policy across the distributions of motor skills and cognitive outcomes. In fact, this study finds that the policy had little significant effect on these outcomes at any point along the distributions, neither for the full sample of children nor when the sample is split by child demographic characteristics. I do, however, find evidence that the universal childcare policy led to a reduction in child body weight at the upper end of the distribution. These results are robust to different specifications and estimation techniques. The results presented in this chapter are particularly relevant for ongoing policy debate in many developed countries today, where there are heated debates on the merits and costs of universally accessible subsidized care. Universal childcare programs are often justified in part by the goal of leveling the playing field in child development. This study is amongst the first to test whether there is evidence to support this argument, particularly in the Canadian context, and finds little effect in the short run.» (p. 149)