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School Proximity and Child Labor: Evidence from Rural Tanzania

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  • Manacorda, Marco
  • Kondylis, Florence

Abstract

Is improved school accessibility an effective policy tool for reducing child labor in developing countries? We address this question using micro data from rural Tanzania and a regression strategy that attempts to control for non-random location of households around schools as well as classical and nonclassical measurement error in self-reported distance to school. Consistent with a simple model of child labor supply, but contrary to what appears to be a widespread perception, our analysis shows that school proximity leads to a rise in school attendance but no fall in child labor.

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  • Manacorda, Marco & Kondylis, Florence, 2010. "School Proximity and Child Labor: Evidence from Rural Tanzania," CEPR Discussion Papers 7890, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:7890
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    Cited by:

    1. Ghulam Abid & Binish Khan & Zeeshan Rafiq & Alia Ahmed, 2015. "Child Trade-Off Theory: A Theoretical Discussion on the Structure, Causes, Consequences and Eradication of Child Labor," Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 4(1), pages 24-34, March.
    2. Christelle Dumas, 2012. "Does Work Impede Child Learning? The Case of Senegal," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 60(4), pages 773-793.
    3. Isabel Ruiz & Carlos Vargas‐Silva, 2018. "The impact of hosting refugees on the intra‐household allocation of tasks: A gender perspective," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(4), pages 1461-1488, November.
    4. Edmonds, Eric V., 2008. "Child Labor," Handbook of Development Economics, in: T. Paul Schultz & John A. Strauss (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 57, pages 3607-3709, Elsevier.
    5. Ellen Webbink & Jeroen Smits & Eelke Jong, 2013. "Household and Context Determinants of Child Labor in 221 Districts of 18 Developing Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 110(2), pages 819-836, January.
    6. Meltem Dayıoğlu & Murat Güray Kırdar, 2022. "Keeping Kids in School and Out of Work: Compulsory Schooling and Child Labor in Turkey," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 16(4), pages 526-555.
    7. Delphine Boutin, 2014. "Climate vulnerability, communities' resilience and child labour," Revue d'économie politique, Dalloz, vol. 124(4), pages 625-638.
    8. Kozhaya, Mireille & Martinez Flores, Fernanda, 2020. "Schooling and child labor: Evidence from Mexico's full-time school program," Ruhr Economic Papers 851, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    9. Harounan Kazianga & Leigh Linden & Ali Protik & Matt Sloan, 2016. "The Medium-Term Impacts of Girl-Friendly Schools: Seven-Year Evidence from School Construction in Burkina Faso," Development Working Papers 406, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano, University of Milano, revised 11 Nov 2016.
    10. Claus Pörtner, 2016. "Effects of parental absence on child labor and school attendance in the Philippines," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 103-130, March.
    11. Sharma, Sabal & Levinson, David, 2019. "Travel cost and dropout from secondary schools in Nepal," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 385-397.
    12. F. Blanco, 2007. "Children's work in Angola: an overview," UCW Working Paper 38, Understanding Children's Work (UCW Programme).
    13. Burrone, Sara & Giannelli, Gianna Claudia, 2019. "Does Child Labor Lead to Vulnerable Employment in Adulthood? Evidence for Tanzania," IZA Discussion Papers 12162, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Fredriksson, Anders, 2017. "Location-allocation of public services – Citizen access, transparency and measurement. A method and evidence from Brazil and Sweden," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1-12.
    15. de Hoop, Jacobus & Rosati, Furio C., 2014. "Does promoting school attendance reduce child labor? Evidence from Burkina Faso's BRIGHT project," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 78-96.
    16. Sharma, Sabal & Levinson, David, 2019. "Travel cost and dropout from secondary schools in Nepal," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 385-397.
    17. Dammert, Ana C. & de Hoop, Jacobus & Mvukiyehe, Eric & Rosati, Furio C., 2018. "Effects of public policy on child labor: Current knowledge, gaps, and implications for program design," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 104-123.
    18. Mikal Davis & Nick Ingwersen & Harounan Kazianga & Leigh Linden & Arif Mamun & Ali Protik & Matt Sloan, "undated". "Ten-Year Impacts of Burkina Faso's BRIGHT Program," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 2ecdd42bb503422b802ce20da, Mathematica Policy Research.
    19. Deborah Levison & Deborah S. DeGraff & Esther W. Dungumaro, 2018. "Implications of Environmental Chores for Schooling: Children’s Time Fetching Water and Firewood in Tanzania," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(2), pages 217-234, April.
    20. Finn McGuire & Noemi Kreif & Peter C. Smith, 2021. "The effect of distance on maternal institutional delivery choice: Evidence from Malawi," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(9), pages 2144-2167, September.
    21. Kozhaya, Mireille & Martínez Flores, Fernanda, 2022. "School attendance and child labor: Evidence from Mexico’s Full-Time School program," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    22. Kozhaya, Mireille & Martínez Flores, Fernanda, 2020. "Child Education and Work: Evidence from Mexico's Full-Time School Program," VfS Annual Conference 2020 (Virtual Conference): Gender Economics 224567, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    23. Isabel Ruiz & Carlos Vargas‐Silva, 2018. "The impact of hosting refugees on the intra‐household allocation of tasks: A gender perspective," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(4), pages 1461-1488, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Distance to school; Child labor; School enrollment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J82 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Labor Force Composition
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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