{
  "title": "Gender Equality: Which Policies Have the Biggest Bang for the Buck?",
  "publication": "IMF Working Papers, May 10, 2018",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2018/05/10/gender-equality-which-policies-have-the-biggest-bang-for-the-buck-45823",
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  "summary": "This paper analyzes the relationship between fiscal and structural policies and gender inequality in education and labor force participation for countries at different stages of development.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Study scope and methodology",
      "content": "- Authors: Sonali Jain-Chandra, Kalpana Kochhar, Monique Newiak, Yang Yang, Edda Zoli\n- Date: May 10, 2018\n- Series: Working Paper No. 2018/105\n- Pages: 31\n- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781484353257.001\n- ISBN: 9781484353257\n- Core objective: Analyze the relationship between fiscal and structural policies and gender inequality in education and labor force participation across countries at different stages of development.\n- Empirical approach: Pay particular attention to addressing model uncertainty and use various statistical methods to identify variables with the strongest links to gender gaps."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Key findings — education gender gaps",
      "content": "- Higher public spending on education is significantly related to narrower gender gaps in education.\n- Better sanitation facilities are significantly related to narrower gender gaps in education.\n- Low adolescent fertility is significantly related to narrower gender gaps in education.\n- Narrower marriage age gaps are significantly related to narrower gender gaps in education."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Key findings — female labor force participation",
      "content": "- Better infrastructure is strongly associated with higher female labor force participation.\n- A stronger institutional environment is strongly associated with higher female labor force participation.\n- More equal legal rights are strongly associated with higher female labor force participation.\n- Low adolescent fertility rates are strongly associated with higher female labor force participation.\n- Labor market protection exhibits a non-linear association:\n  - When labor market protection is low, an increase in protection is associated with a narrowing of labor force participation gaps between men and women.\n  - When labor market protection levels are high, an increase in protection is associated with a widening in labor force participation gaps."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Policy-relevant implications (as reported)",
      "content": "- Fiscal policy: Public spending on education can contribute to narrowing gender gaps in education.\n- Infrastructure and institutions: Investments in infrastructure and strengthening institutional environments can raise female labor force participation.\n- Legal rights: Advancing more equal legal rights is linked to higher female labor force participation.\n- Demographic and social factors: Policies that reduce adolescent fertility and narrow marriage age gaps support both education equality and labor force participation for women.\n- Labor market regulation: The effect of increasing labor market protection depends on existing protection levels; policy design should account for this non-linearity.\n\nSource: IMF Working Paper — \"Gender Equality: Which Policies Have the Biggest Bang for the Buck?\" (Working Paper No. 2018/105), Sonali Jain-Chandra et al., May 10, 2018.\n\n---\n\n Content in this bundle\n\n- Gender Equality: Which Policies Have the Biggest Bang for the Buck?, WP/18/105, May 2018\n  - Gender Equality: Which Policies Have the Biggest Bang for the Buck?, WP/18/105, May 2018 (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - Gender Equality: Which Policies Have the Biggest Bang for the Buck?, WP/18/105, May 2018 (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n\n---\n\nSource: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2018/05/10/gender-equality-which-policies-have-the-biggest-bang-for-the-buck-45823"
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    "Authors: Sonali Jain-Chandra, Kalpana Kochhar, Monique Newiak, Yang Yang, Edda Zoli",
    "Published: May 10, 2018",
    "Series: IMF Working Papers",
    "DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781484353257.001",
    "Authors: Sonali Jain-Chandra, Kalpana Kochhar, Monique Newiak, Yang Yang, Edda Zoli",
    "Date: May 10, 2018",
    "Series: Working Paper No. 2018/105",
    "Pages: 31",
    "DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781484353257.001",
    "ISBN: 9781484353257",
    "Core objective: Analyze the relationship between fiscal and structural policies and gender inequality in education and labor force participation across countries at different stages of development.",
    "Empirical approach: Pay particular attention to addressing model uncertainty and use various statistical methods to identify variables with the strongest links to gender gaps.",
    "Higher public spending on education is significantly related to narrower gender gaps in education.",
    "Better sanitation facilities are significantly related to narrower gender gaps in education.",
    "Low adolescent fertility is significantly related to narrower gender gaps in education.",
    "Narrower marriage age gaps are significantly related to narrower gender gaps in education.",
    "Better infrastructure is strongly associated with higher female labor force participation.",
    "A stronger institutional environment is strongly associated with higher female labor force participation.",
    "More equal legal rights are strongly associated with higher female labor force participation.",
    "Low adolescent fertility rates are strongly associated with higher female labor force participation.",
    "Labor market protection exhibits a non-linear association:",
    "Fiscal policy: Public spending on education can contribute to narrowing gender gaps in education.",
    "Infrastructure and institutions: Investments in infrastructure and strengthening institutional environments can raise female labor force participation.",
    "Legal rights: Advancing more equal legal rights is linked to higher female labor force participation.",
    "Demographic and social factors: Policies that reduce adolescent fertility and narrow marriage age gaps support both education equality and labor force participation for women.",
    "Labor market regulation: The effect of increasing labor market protection depends on existing protection levels; policy design should account for this non-linearity.",
    "**Gender Equality: Which Policies Have the Biggest Bang for the Buck?, WP/18/105, May 2018**"
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