Loading [MathJax]/extensions/tex2jax.js

Preventing Child Maltreatment: Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review

Authors

  • Malte Sandner
  • Stephan Lothar Thomsen
  • Libertad González

Research Organisations

External Research Organisations

  • Institute for Employment Research (IAB) of the Federal Employment Agency
  • Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
  • Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)
  • Universität Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
  • Nuremberg Institute of Technology
Plum Print visual indicator of research metrics
  • Citations
    • Policy Citations: 3
  • Captures
    • Readers: 8
see details

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)321–353
Number of pages61
JournalThe Economic Journal
Volume135
Issue number665
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2025

Abstract

We investigate the impact of public childcare provision on the incidence of severe child maltreatment. For identification, we exploit a reform that expanded early childcare in Germany, generating large temporal and spatial variation in childcare coverage at the county level. Using high-quality administrative data covering all reported cases of child maltreatment in Germany by county and year, we find that an increase in childcare slots by one percentage point in a county reduced child maltreatment cases leading to out-of-home placement by about 1%. Our results suggest that the provision of universal public childcare may be more cost-effective than previously thought.

Cite this

Preventing Child Maltreatment: Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare. / Sandner, Malte; Thomsen, Stephan Lothar; González, Libertad.
In: The Economic Journal, Vol. 135, No. 665, 01.2025, p. 321–353.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review

Sandner, M, Thomsen, SL & González, L 2025, 'Preventing Child Maltreatment: Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare', The Economic Journal, vol. 135, no. 665, pp. 321–353. https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueae070
Sandner, M., Thomsen, S. L., & González, L. (2025). Preventing Child Maltreatment: Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare. The Economic Journal, 135(665), 321–353. https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueae070
Sandner M, Thomsen SL, González L. Preventing Child Maltreatment: Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare. The Economic Journal. 2025 Jan;135(665):321–353. doi: 10.1093/ej/ueae070
Sandner, Malte ; Thomsen, Stephan Lothar ; González, Libertad. / Preventing Child Maltreatment : Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare. In: The Economic Journal. 2025 ; Vol. 135, No. 665. pp. 321–353.
Download
@article{5885f241a7bc48779b3268a2af2d1575,
title = "Preventing Child Maltreatment: Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare",
abstract = "We investigate the impact of public childcare provision on the incidence of severe child maltreatment. For identification, we exploit a reform that expanded early childcare in Germany, generating large temporal and spatial variation in childcare coverage at the county level. Using high-quality administrative data covering all reported cases of child maltreatment in Germany by county and year, we find that an increase in childcare slots by one percentage point in a county reduced child maltreatment cases leading to out-of-home placement by about 1%. Our results suggest that the provision of universal public childcare may be more cost-effective than previously thought.",
author = "Malte Sandner and Thomsen, {Stephan Lothar} and Libertad Gonz{\'a}lez",
year = "2025",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1093/ej/ueae070",
language = "English",
volume = "135",
pages = "321–353",
number = "665",

}

Download

TY - JOUR

T1 - Preventing Child Maltreatment

T2 - Beneficial Side Effects of Public Childcare

AU - Sandner, Malte

AU - Thomsen, Stephan Lothar

AU - González, Libertad

PY - 2025/1

Y1 - 2025/1

N2 - We investigate the impact of public childcare provision on the incidence of severe child maltreatment. For identification, we exploit a reform that expanded early childcare in Germany, generating large temporal and spatial variation in childcare coverage at the county level. Using high-quality administrative data covering all reported cases of child maltreatment in Germany by county and year, we find that an increase in childcare slots by one percentage point in a county reduced child maltreatment cases leading to out-of-home placement by about 1%. Our results suggest that the provision of universal public childcare may be more cost-effective than previously thought.

AB - We investigate the impact of public childcare provision on the incidence of severe child maltreatment. For identification, we exploit a reform that expanded early childcare in Germany, generating large temporal and spatial variation in childcare coverage at the county level. Using high-quality administrative data covering all reported cases of child maltreatment in Germany by county and year, we find that an increase in childcare slots by one percentage point in a county reduced child maltreatment cases leading to out-of-home placement by about 1%. Our results suggest that the provision of universal public childcare may be more cost-effective than previously thought.

U2 - 10.1093/ej/ueae070

DO - 10.1093/ej/ueae070

M3 - Article

VL - 135

SP - 321

EP - 353

JO - The Economic Journal

JF - The Economic Journal

IS - 665

ER -