Abstract: This study examines how paid maternity leave (ML) impacted fertility and mothers' labor force participation in Romania. Specifically, I investigate the effects of a law regarding paid ML, which was implemented in 1990- less than one month- after the fall of the Communist regime in the country. The ML gives mothers the right to paid leave until the child turns one year old, and it offers 65% of monthly income before birth. This policy change was unexpected, creating conditions for a quasi-natural experiment. To establish causality, I examine the effects of this policy change using a regression discontinuity design and census data. I show that mothers who are eligible for ML are 3 percentage-points more likely to have an additional child than those ineligibles. The effect is persistent for seven years after the policy was implemented. I find no significant results regarding the mother’s labor force participation. I argue that the policy alleviated, to some extent, declining fertility rates, which were primarily caused by lifting bans on birth controls after the fall of the communist regime. These results have important implications regarding the shrinking working-age population and the ability to fund benefits programs.

I analyze the effect of two maternity leave (ML) reforms on family living arrangements using regression discontinuity and differences-in-differences methodology. The first reform extended ML from 60 days to one year and provided 65% of the mother’s income before childbirth. It did not significantly impact family living arrangements. The second reform extended ML from one year to two years and provided 85% of the mother’s income. It increased the probability that the mother was single at the time of birth. Results from the second reform support the independence hypothesis: an increase in women’s income reduces the need to pool resources and makes household work specialization less advantageous, leading to a higher probability of single motherhood.

Abstract: This study aims to better understand what factors favor the successful participation of small disadvantaged (SDB) suppliers in federal contracts during disaster events when procurement procedures are relaxed and more opportunities for SDBs exist due to the availability of emergency funds. To do that, we draw on data about the U.S. Federal Government emergency contracts awarded during the major disaster over the last 18 years. We estimate a logistic regression model to understand what factors favor SDBs participation in federal procurement contracts. We notice that the ability of SDB suppliers to win a federal contract has increased over time. However, to maximize the probability of SDB suppliers winning a contract, the Federal Government should configure the bidding procedure with specific features. From a research perspective, we propose a model that includes the main variables to be considered to study SDBs participation in government contracts. From a managerial perspective, our findings are able to inform 1) federal governments about what procurement variables are more important to be considered to reach the desired DEI goals; 2) SDB suppliers about the circumstances that maximize their chances of winning a federal contract, and so on what type of procurement contracts they should focus their bidding efforts.