The Effect of Quarantining Welfare on School Attendance in Indigenous Communities

Abstract

We identify the causal impact of quarantining welfare payments on Aboriginal children's school attendance by exploiting exogenous variation in its rollout across communities. We find that income quarantining reduced attendance by 4.7 percent on average in the first five months. Attendance eventually returned to its initial level, but never improved. The attendance penalty does not operate through changes in student enrollments, geographic mobility, or other policy initiatives. Instead, we demonstrate that financial disruption may be responsible for the temporary reduction in school attendance. Supplemental analysis suggests that the policy rollout may have increased family discord.

Sustainable Teaching Strategies to Teach Indigenous Students: Their Relations to Students’ Engaged Learning and Teachers’ Self-Concept

“…Despite centuries of attempts for improvement, many Indigenous peoples around the world still find themselves being continually marginalized [1]. In Australia, Indigenous populations have long been acknowledged as disadvantaged populations based on a range of indicators [2]; as they have been marginalized in many areas, including socio-economic, health, cultural, and educational aspects [3]. One possible sustainable way to improve the wellbeing and life opportunities of the Indigenous population is through education.…”

An Analysis of the Recording, Reporting, and Use of School Attendance Data in Australia

“…Whilst schools do have a role in fostering safe and supportive environments for young people, risk factors associated with attendance problems pervade families, communities and society as a whole (Childs & Grooms, 2018). Therefore, government, education jurisdictions, schools, inter-community agencies (e.g., allied health, social services & police) and families all have important roles to play in supporting attendance (Cobb-Clark et al, 2021). Furthermore, researchers and policy makers require accurate data to make informed policy decisions regarding initiatives to support the health, wellbeing and academic engagement of young people (Purdie & Buckley, 2010).…”