强化儿童福利法律援助的效果：来自"我的律师"（Mi Abogado）项目随机试验的证据
Effects of Enhanced Legal Aid in Child Welfare: Evidence from a Randomized Trial of Mi Abogado
American Economic Review · 2025 · [{"name": "Ryan Cooper", "affiliation": ["University of Chicago"]}, {"name": "Joseph Doyle", "affiliation": ["Alfred P. Sloan Foundation"]}, {"name": "Andrés Hojman", "affiliation": ["Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile"]}]
中文摘要
儿童往往要在寄养照护中度过数年时间，而官僚程序障碍可能不必要地延长其寄养期限。智利推出"我的律师"（Mi Abogado）项目，旨在强化对寄养儿童的法律援助并加快家庭团聚。智利政府采用了一种新颖的方法，将该项目在机构照护儿童中的推行加以随机化，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，且未增加后续的虐待和安置情况。接受该项目干预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，强化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)