Child Labor and School Achievement in Latin America

Gunnarsson, Victoria; Orazem, Peter F.; Sanchez, Mario A.

Child Labor and School Achievement in Latin America

Autores

Gunnarsson, Victoria

Orazem, Peter F.

Sanchez, Mario A.

Editor

Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank

Descripción

Child labors effect on academic achievement is estimated using unique data on third and fourth graders in nine Latin American countries. Cross country variation in truancy regulations provides an exogenous shift in the ages of children normally in these grades, providing exogenous variation in the opportunity cost of children's time. Least squares estimates suggest that child labor lowers test scores, but those estimates are biased toward zero. Corrected estimates are still negative and statistically significant. Children working 1 standard deviation above the mean have average scores that are 16 percent lower on mathematics examinations and 11 percent lower on language examinations, consistent with the estimates of the adverse impact of child labor on returns to schooling.

Palabras clave

ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES, ADVERSE EFFECTS, AVAILABILITY OF BOOKS, BASIC SKILLS, CAPITAL INVESTMENT, CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, CHILD LABOR, CHILD LABOR LAWS, CHILD LABOUR, CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS, CLASSROOM, CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT, COGNITIVE ACHIEVEMENT, COGNITIVE SKILLS, COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW, COMPULSORY SCHOOLING, CURRICULUM, DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMICS, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, EDUCATIONAL POLICIES, EMPLOYMENT, ENROLLMENT, ENROLLMENT BY AGE, ENROLLMENT RATES, FAMILY LABOR, GIRLS, HUMAN CAPITAL, INCOME, INSTRUCTION, LABOR ECONOMICS, LABOR FORCE, LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION, LABOR LAWS, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKETS, LABOR SUPPLY, LABORERS, LEARNING, LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT, LEARNING OUTCOMES, LEGAL GUARDIANS, LITERACY, LIVING STANDARDS, MARKET WAGE, MARKET WAGES, MATHEMATICS, NUMERACY, NUTRITION, OLDER CHILDREN, OPPORTUNITY COSTS, PARENTAL EDUCATION, PARENTS, PARTICIPATION RATES, POLITICAL ECONOMY, PRIMARY ENROLLMENT, PRIMARY ENROLLMENT RATES, PRIMARY SCHOOL, PRIMARY SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT, PRIMARY SCHOOLING, PRODUCTION PROCESS, PRODUCTIVITY, QUALITY OF EDUCATION, READING, RURAL AREAS, RURAL CHILDREN, RURAL GIRLS, SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, SCHOOL QUALITY, SCHOOL TIME, SCHOOLING, SCHOOLS, SMALL SCHOOLS, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, TEACHER TRAINING, TEACHERS, TEXTBOOKS, WAGES, WORKING CHILDREN, WORKING HOURS, YOUNG CHILDREN, YOUNGER CHILDREN