Nowalski, Jorge
(1990)
Employment problems in Costa Rica: Individual and household effects and responses.
PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the living conditions and responses of individuals and their households with employment problems in Costa Rica. The study, based on a survey of households, addresses questions regarding both the effects which individuals associate with employment problems and the mechanisms which they and their households adopt to offset these effects, in the absence of an income maintenance programme. With respect to the effects of employment problems, one-third of the respondents linked changes in their health, family life and education to their employment situation. They referred to ill- health, limited access to health services, disruption of family life, academic failure and school leaving as the major effects related to their employment problems. The majority of individuals and their households resorted to social support and the use of alternative sources of work and income such as informal sector and home production, to counteract the impact resulting from their employment problems. Additionally, most unemployed people searched intensively for jobs while participating in the informal sector. Moreover, public assistance programmes did not play a major role as a mechanism for survival because few respondents knew about them and even fewer were beneficiaries of these programmes. The thesis concludes with policy proposals derived from the findings of the survey. The objectives of these proposals are, in the short-term, to mitigate the impact of employment problems and, in the long-term, to generate more employment opportunities. In addition, based on the lessons drawn from the present study, several recommendations are made for future research on the effects of, and responses to, employment problems.
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