Means-testing of the child benefit system

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Quick info
Data type Numeric
Scale Multinomial
Value labels 0 = "No", 1 = "Yes"
Technical name fam_cben_mt
Category Family and gender policies
Label Means-testing of the child benefit system.
Related indicators NA (no information available)

The indicator identifies whether a means test is applicable in order for a parent or caregiver to be eligible for the child benefit system. This may involve means-testing that is applied to either an employment-based child benefit or a child benefit that is available to citizens or residents without contributions from employment.

A means test may comprise of a mechanism that determines eligibility for the child benefit based on whether the income of a household, or individual parent or caregiver, is below a given threshold. Across many countries in the Global South, there is variation in the mechanisms adopted to determine eligibility based on vulnerability status in the absence of information on monthly incomes. The dataset aims to capture this variation through the coding of multiple means-testing mechanism which may apply in a certain country. The means test may be based on income (fam_cben_citres_mt_income), in which case the dataset also aims to provide income threshold (fam_cben_citres_mt_income_threshold). Other mechanisms may include one or a combination of the following: vulnerability determined based on geographic location (fam_cben_citres_mt_geo), proxy means testing (fam_cben_citres_mt_pmt), community-based targeting (fam_cben_citres_mt_cbt) or vulnerability determined based on the employment status, being outside of "formal" employment (fam_cben_citres_mt_emp).


Coding rules

The variable assumes the value of 1 if the child benefit for citizens/residents is means-tested (fam_cben_citres_mt = 1 ). If the child benefit for citizens/residents is not means-tested (fam_cben_citres_mt = 0), it assumes the value of 1 if the employment-based child benefit is means-tested (fam_cben_emp_mt = 1) and 0 if otherwise (fam_cben_emp_mt = 0). Therefore, if the child benefit is provided irrespective of income or vulnerability status, the variable assumes the value of 0. A child benefit is considered means-tested when the law or program description prescribes that only households or individual parents/caregivers who are identified as vulnerable based on an income threshold or another targeting mechanism are eligible for child benefits.

Missing information is coded as follows:

  • -999 = No information available: Data was unavailable or could not be found.
  • -888 = Policy does not exist: Data was not collected due to knowledge that the policy either does not exist or has been discontinued.
  • -777 = Not applicable: Data was not collected because it was not relevant for this specific country or child benefit system.


Bibliographic info

Citation: Tran, Anh, Simone Tonelli, Martin Gurín, Tobias Böger, Keonhi Son, Aysegül Kayaoglu and Sonja Drobnič. Forthcoming. Codebook of the Global Dataset of Child Benefits. Bremen: SFB 1342.


Related publications: Tonelli, Simone, Tobias Böger, Keonhi Son, Petra Buhr, Sonja Drobnič, and Johannes Huinink. 2021. Codebook of Historical Dataset of Child Benefit (HDCB). Bremen: SFB 1342. https://media.suub.uni-bremen.de/handle/elib/5939.



Misc

Project manager(s): Anh Tran, Simone Tonelli, Martin Gurín, Tobias Böger, Keonhi Son, Aysegül Kayaoglu and Sonja Drobnič (A06)


Data release: Version 0.003: Third release


Revisions: This codebook is an updated version of the publication: Tonelli, Simone, Tobias Böger, Keonhi Son, Petra Buhr, Sonja Drobnič, and Johannes Huinink. 2021. Codebook of Historical Dataset of Child Benefit (HDCB). Bremen: SFB 1342. https://media.suub.uni-bremen.de/handle/elib/5939.

Sources

Below is a list of common sources used to gather information on multiple countries. For country-specific sources and calculations, please refer to the Codebook of the Global Dataset of Child Benefits (Tran et al. Forthcoming).

  • Gauthier, Anne H. 2011. Comparative Family Policy Database, Version 3 [computer file]. Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute and Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (distributors). www.demogr.mpg.de
  • Social Security Administration. Various years. Social Security Programs Throughout the World. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. 1949-1999 reports: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/003924614 2001-2019 reports: https:// www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw
  • United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Non-Contributory Social Protection Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean Database. Santiago de Chile: UN ECLAC – Social Development Division. https://dds.cepal.org/bpsnc/home.
  • UNU-WIDER. 2018. Social Assistance, Politics, and Institutions (SAPI) database [online]. Helsinki: United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER). /project/sapi-social-assistance-politics-and-institutions-database.
  • Waggaman, Mary T. Family Allowances in Foreign Countries: Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 401. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/4026
  • Waggaman, Mary T. Family Allowances in 1937 and 1938, 48 Monthly Lab. Rev. 1026 (1939)
  • Wagemann, Mary T. Family Allowances in Various Countries, 1944-45: Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 853. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/4319
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