PhD Defence: Economics of Children’s Outcomes: The Role of Policy Interventions and Household Dynamics

This thesis investigates the effects of public policy interventions on children’s outcomes in low-income and fragile settings, with a particular focus on Haiti. While child-focused social programmes are widely implemented, credible evidence on their effectiveness across multiple dimensions of child wellbeing remains limited, especially in contexts marked by poverty, informality, and institutional fragility. This research addresses this gap using a mixed-methods approach that combines econometric analysis with qualitative evidence. The thesis makes three contributions. First, it presents a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of public policy interventions targeting child labour, highlighting substantial heterogeneity in impacts and identifying programme design features associated with more effective outcomes. Second, it provides an original empirical evaluation of a policy programme in Haiti using longitudinal data that follow the same children over time. Applying quasi-experimental methods, the analysis estimates programme effects on child labour, schooling, nutrition, and sanitation outcomes. The results indicate reductions in child labour and improvements in schooling, alongside smaller but positive effects on selected living conditions. Third, qualitative fieldwork complements the quantitative findings by illuminating the mechanisms underlying observed impacts, including household decision-making and local economic conditions. Overall, the thesis contributes rigorous, context-specific evidence on the effectiveness of child-focused policy interventions and offers insights for the design and evaluation of social programmes aimed at improving children’s wellbeing in fragile and low-income contexts.