Child-rearing leave in Romania: an effective instrument for increasing the birth rate and improving child care?

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The new law on child-rearing leave, adopted in April 2016, increases the scope, duration and level of this benefit. Romania already provides among the most generous child-rearing leaves and indemnities in the EU. Adopted with broad public and political support, as a tool to increase the birth rate and reduce poverty risks among young parents and their children, its effects on employment may outstrip its expected positive effects on the birth rate.

Author: Luana Pop

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