INVESTIGADORES
RONCONI Lucas
artículos
Título:
Estimates of the Benefit Incidence of Workfare
Autor/es:
LUCAS RONCONI
Revista:
Economia: Journal of LACEA
Editorial:
Brookings Institution
Referencias:
Año: 2009 vol. 9 p. 129 - 145
ISSN:
1529-7470
Resumen:
In this paper, I reevaluate targeting and income effects of Argentina?s workfare program (Plan Trabajar) using samples of participants collected by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses, including two cross-sectional samples (EDS and ECV) and a longitudinal sample (EPH). I find that while participants are poorer, on average, than nonparticipants, targeting is less pro-poor than in the Ministry of Labor sample. Furthermore, nonpoor workfare beneficiaries report larger rates of participation in political parties, suggesting that political favoritism distorts the allocation of benefits. When I control for pretreatment employment histories and time-invariant heterogeneity, the estimated average income effect during participation is 60 pesos per month, or one-third of the benefit. This estimate refers to a period of severe economic crisis. Income effects during participation in the program are likely to be smaller in times of economic prosperity.