Child Labor, Urban Proximity and Household Composition

50 Pages Posted: 15 Feb 2006

See all articles by Marcel Fafchamps

Marcel Fafchamps

Stanford University - Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Jackline Wahba

University of Southampton, Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Date Written: February 2006

Abstract

Using detailed survey data from Nepal, this paper examines the determinants of child labor with a special emphasis on urban proximity. We find that children residing in or near urban centers attend school more and work less in total but are more likely to be involved in wage work or in a small business. The larger the urban center, the stronger the effect is. Urban proximity is found to reduce the workload of children and improve school attendance up to 3 hours of travel time from the city. In areas of commercialized agriculture located 3 to 7 hours from the city, children do more farm work. Urban proximity effects are accounted for by a combination of local labor supply and demand conditions, most notably the local importance of agriculture, the education level of the parents, and the local wage rate. Child servants, which represent a small proportion of all children, work much harder than other children and appear particularly at risk.

Keywords: child labour, Nepal, child schooling, urban proximity

JEL Classification: J10, J22, J24, J40, N35

Suggested Citation

Fafchamps, Marcel and Wahba, Jackline, Child Labor, Urban Proximity and Household Composition (February 2006). IZA Discussion Paper No. 1966, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=882822 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.882822

Marcel Fafchamps

Stanford University - Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

Jackline Wahba (Contact Author)

University of Southampton, Department of Economics ( email )

Southampton, SO171BJ
United Kingdom
+44 23 8059 3996 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/site/jackiewahba/

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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