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Is Child Work Detrimental to the Educational Achievement of Children? Results from Young Lives Study in Ethiopia

Author

Listed:
  • Woldehanna, Tassew
  • Gebremedhin, Aregawi
  • Araya, Mesele W.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the effect of child work on educational achievement as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). Identifying the causal effects of child work on education is made difficult because the choice of work and/or schooling is made simultaneously and may be determined by the same potentially unobserved factors. Therefore, both Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and Instrumental Variable (IV) estimation methods were used to identify the effect of child work on educational achievement. We used dummy variables for drought, crop failure and pests and diseases, for increases in the prices of food, and for urban locality as instruments which are highly, though not directly, correlated with achievement in education. The results obtained showed that child work had a negative effect on child achievement in education. Numerically, an increase in the number of hours worked per day by one resulted in a reduction in the PPVT score of a child by 6.2 percent. Therefore, it is important to design mechanisms that enable households to withstand income shocks without resorting to child work. The Government of Ethiopia might need to consider implementing a programme that provides financial incentives to households to send their children to school regularly, thus potentially increasing their educational achievement.

Suggested Citation

  • Woldehanna, Tassew & Gebremedhin, Aregawi & Araya, Mesele W., 2017. "Is Child Work Detrimental to the Educational Achievement of Children? Results from Young Lives Study in Ethiopia," Ethiopian Journal of Economics, Ethiopian Economics Association, vol. 26(01), April.
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:eeaeje:343203
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.343203
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Victoria Gunnarsson & Peter F. Orazem & Mario A. Sánchez, 2006. "Child Labor and School Achievement in Latin America," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 20(1), pages 31-54.
    2. Christopher Heady, 2000. "What is the Effect of Child Labour on Learning Achievement? Evidence from Ghana," Papers inwopa00/7, Innocenti Working Papers.
    3. repec:ilo:ilowps:366541 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Paul Glewwe & Hanan Jacoby, 1994. "Student Achievement and Schooling Choice in Low-Income Countries: Evidence from Ghana," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 29(3), pages 843-864.
    5. Orazem, Peter F. & Gunnarsson, Victoria., 2003. "Child labour, school attendance and academic performance : a review," ILO Working Papers 993665413402676, International Labour Organization.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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