Effects of Enhanced Legal Aid in Child Welfare: Evidence from a Randomized Trial of Mi Abogado
中文摘要
儿童往往在寄养照护中度过数年，而官僚程序障碍可能不必要地延长其寄养时间。智利推出“我的律师”（Mi Abogado）项目，旨在加强对寄养儿童的法律援助并加快家庭团聚。智利政府采用一种新颖方法，将该项目在机构安置儿童中的实施随机化，以评估其对儿童福祉的影响。利用登记数据，我们发现该项目显著缩短了寄养照护的持续时间，且未增加此后的虐待和安置。项目介入还减少了儿童卷入刑事司法系统的情况，并提高了学校出勤率。结果表明，加强寄养照护服务能够以具有成本效益的方式改善儿童福祉。(JEL I21, I31, J13, K36, O15, O17)
Abstract
Children spend years in foster care, and bureaucratic hurdles can unnecessarily prolong their stays. The Mi Abogado program was introduced in Chile to enhance legal aid for foster children and accelerate family reunification. In a novel approach, the Chilean government randomized the introduction of the program for children living in institutions to evaluate effects on child well-being. Using registry data, we find the program significantly reduced the duration of foster care without increasing subsequent maltreatment and placements. The exposure also decreased criminal justice involvement and improved school attendance. Results suggest that strengthening foster care services can cost-effectively improve child well-being. (JEL I21, I31, J13, K36, O15, O17)