A comparative analysis of hybrid and court-based child support policy schemes in Latin America

• In Event: Contesting State and Corporate Ideologies of Childhood

Abstract

An increasing number of Latin American children are spending some of their childhood living with a single-parent, usually their mother. Single-mother families are particularly vulnerable to poverty in this region. Child support, a monetary transfer from a nonresident father, is a critical source of income for these mothers and their children. However, the proportion of families receiving child support is relatively low in a wide range of contexts. Our knowledge on the factors explaining this phenomenon in Latin America is limited due to the dearth of research on the scope and characteristics of child support policy schemes (CSPS). We extend this literature by conducting the first comparative analysis of hybrid (i.e., judicial system and public agencies share responsibility in the determination and enforcement of child support obligations) and court-based CSPS in Latin America. We collect data from key actors of the CSPS of Colombia and Peru, two countries with a hybrid scheme, and Uruguay, which has a court-based scheme, to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the similarities and differences between hybrid and court-based CSPS in four main tasks of the schemes’ operation: request for intervention, order establishment and revision, collection and distribution of payments, and enforcement; (2) Do schemes respond in different ways to common scenarios? and (3) Do countries with similar schemes respond in different ways to common scenarios? Findings from this study will improve our understanding of CSPS in Latin America, an important step in reducing disparities in the well-being of families with children.

Authors

• Laura Andrea Cuesta Rueda, Rutgers University

• Marisa Bucheli, Universidad de la República

• Vanessa Ríos-Salas