Effect of Rising Welfare Benefits on the Employment Income: Evidence from single mothers in Japan

本研究の目的は、生活保護基準の増額がシングルマザーの就労収入に与える影響を検証することである。日本の生活保護制度では、世帯所得が増えると給付額が減少する仕組みがあり、これが就労意欲を低下させる可能性がある。母子世帯の貧困問題が注目される中で、福祉給付の変化が労働市場での行動にどう影響を与えるかが重要な課題となっている。本研究では、生活保護を受けている世帯全員の情報を含むデータを使用して分析を行った。方法は、2018年10月の生活保護基準改定に注目し、母子世帯における基準改定の地域差を活用した。その結果、中学生や高校生の子どもを持つシングルマザーのうち、特に健康な一部の層では、生活保護基準の増額によって就労収入が統計的に有意に減少する場合があった。しかし、ほとんどのケースでは統計的に有意な影響は確認されなかった。

This study empirically examines the effect of increased welfare benefits on the earned income of single-mother households. Japan’s public assistance system reduces the amount of assistance provided to recipients as their household income rises, which disincentivizes individuals from seeking employment. Concerns about the impoverishment of single-mother households have necessitated an investigation into how changes in welfare benefits affect the labor market behavior of single-mother households. This study utilizes microdata containing information on all members of households receiving public assistance benefits. The analysis focuses on the October 2018 revision of public assistance standards, and leverages regional variations in the increase in public assistance benefits for single-mother households. The results reveal that for single mothers with children in junior high or high school, an increase in public assistance benefits significantly reduces earned income, particularly when the analysis is limited to women in good health condition. However, most cases reveal no such statistically significant effect. Given the increasing concern over poverty among single-mother households, understanding whether higher welfare benefits discourage employment is crucial for designing effective policies.