Child Support Policy across High-Income Countries: Similar Problems, Different Approaches

Abstract

We provide an overview of child support policy in high-income countries, highlighting differences in institutional arrangements, the amount of child support due, and the amount of child support received. We show that the United States expects high levels of child support from nonresident parents when compared to other countries, that noncompliance is a problem across countries, and that most European countries deal with nonpayment of child support by providing guarantees of public support for children and resident parents. The guarantee schemes vary in terms of eligibility and generosity. Throughout, we find that child support policy approaches differ across countries. A key policy implication from this review is that the United States may be expecting too much child support from nonresident parents and that it could consider guaranteeing a modest amount of public support to single-parent households.

Child support policy in middle- and low-income countries: current approaches and policy dilemmas

“…The factors considered in the formal determination of child support in middle- and low-income countries are very similar to those taken into account in high-income countries (Hakovirta et al, 2022): the resources of the non-resident parent and/or resident parent, children’s needs and age, and obligations to other children and child’s care time. We consider whether there are rules for the determination of child support payments and whose incomes are assessed in this process.…”

“…Previous comparative studies of child support policy in high-income countries show that these countries have fairly well-developed child support policies, and in several countries these policies reflect a principle that children should not be financially disadvantaged by their parents not living together (Hakovirta et al, 2022). Moreover, responsibility for the economic well-being of the child of separated parents rests within the nuclear family (or is shared between the nuclear family and the state).…”

“…Countries differ in the parties involved in the determination of child support (Corden, 1999; Skinner, Bradshaw, & Davidson, 2007). Based on a recent review of 19 high-income countries (Hakovirta et al, 2022), the most common scheme, found in nine countries, uses courts. Five countries mainly use an agency, and another five can be described as hybrid systems in which both the courts and another agency/institution are involved.…”

“…Approaches to dealing with non-payment in high-income countries include focusing on enforcement, threats, and potentially punishments and/or trying to provide services that enable parents to pay (and trying to ensure that obligations are not set so high that they cannot be paid). In some high-income countries, the government guarantees a certain amount of support if the liable parent does not pay (Hakovirta et al, 2022). Whether the policies in middle- and low-income countries can be described in the same way is not yet known.…”

“…The limited research that does exist has examined child support policy in high-income countries (for a recent review, see Hakovirta et al, 2022). Very little is known about how middle- and low-income countries approach whether non-resident parents should provide child support, nor how much is expected, nor whether this is actually paid.…”