Autor(es): Fernandes, Liliana ; Mendes, Américo ; Teixeira, Aurora
Data: 2013
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/14545
Origem: Veritati - Repositório Institucional da Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Assunto(s): Child well-being; Measurement; Child indicators; Empirical testing
Assessing child well-being through composite summary indexes is one of the most recent developments regarding child well-being measurement. Using a new index that takes into account the children's own perspectives, this paper presents empirical evidence on the main determinants of overall child wellbeing. Econometric estimations, based on a sample of 1246 children enrolled in the 3rd-6th grades of schools located in the Northern region of Portugal, convey two main results: (1) the parents' educational background and professional status, in particular, an unemployed father, are the most important factors affecting child well-being and (2) children from households with double or foreign nationality are worse off than those with Portuguese nationality. These results support the positive role of policies targeting the qualifications and employment opportunities for parents, as well as the need for inclusive policies for immigrant households as a way to improve their children's well-being.
