Date of Award

Summer 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)

Department

Public Policy and Administration

Committee Chairperson

Michelle Wade, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Francis Atuahene, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Ramona Stone, Ph.D.

Abstract

Child support laws are common among most contemporary societies, yet correlational research on the demographic effects of child support remains sparse. Using a variety of nonparametric statistical tests, this dissertation compares the child support policies of 91 nations against 30 social, economic, health, and environmental variables from global public datasets. Mann-Whitney and median tests reveal that nations with robust child support systems—equipped with a high number of enforcement mechanisms, a designated administrative agency, and/or a public child support assurance program—are associated with lower unintended pregnancy and abortion rates, lower infant and maternal mortality rates, and better gender equality indicators. While Kendall’s tau b tests signal that nations with robust child support systems tend to produce more air, land, and water pollution per capita, linear regression models suggest these nations are more likely to be reducing greenhouse gas emissions over time and are experiencing slower population growth than those with weaker child support laws. The analysis concludes that child support is closely linked to social welfare and gender equality, and that it may function as an economic degrowth policy akin to extended producer responsibility in the manufacturing sector.

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