Public Job-Creation Programs: The Economic Benefits of Investing in Social Care? Case Studies in South Africa and the United States

Levy Economics Institute Working Paper No. 671

35 Pages Posted: 23 May 2011 Last revised: 12 Dec 2014

See all articles by Rania Antonopoulos

Rania Antonopoulos

Bard College - The Levy Economics Institute

Kijong Kim

Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

Date Written: May 19, 2011

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the strong impacts that public job creation in social care provisioning has on employment creation. Furthermore, it shows that mobilizing underutilized domestic labor resources and targeting them to bridge gaps in community-based services yield strong pro-poor income growth patterns that extend throughout the economy. Social care provision also contributes to promoting gender equality, as women - especially from low-income households constitute a major workforce in the care sector. We present the ex-ante policy simulation results from two country case studies: South Africa and the United States. Both social accounting matrix–based multiplier analysis and propensity ranking–based microsimulation provide evidence of the pro-poor impacts the social care expansion.

Keywords: Social Care, Job Creation, Gender Equality, Pro-Poor Growth

JEL Classification: C15, C67, D33, E24, J48

Suggested Citation

Antonopoulos, Rania and Kim, Kijong, Public Job-Creation Programs: The Economic Benefits of Investing in Social Care? Case Studies in South Africa and the United States (May 19, 2011). Levy Economics Institute Working Paper No. 671, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1846741 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1846741

Rania Antonopoulos (Contact Author)

Bard College - The Levy Economics Institute ( email )

Blithewood
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
United States
1-845-758-7717 (Phone)
1-845-758-1149 (Fax)

Kijong Kim

Levy Economics Institute of Bard College ( email )

Blithewood
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
United States
8457587738 (Phone)
8457581149 (Fax)

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