Child labor, urban proximity and household composition

Arbeitspapier

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.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 1966

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Demographic Economics: General ; Time Allocation and Labor Supply ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Particular Labor Markets: General ; Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: Asia including Middle East
• Subject: child labour ; Nepal ; child schooling ; urban proximity ; Kinderarbeit ; Allgemeinbildende Schule ; Wohnstandort ; Stadt-Land-Beziehung ; Nepal

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Fafchamps, Marcel ; Wahba, Jackline
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2006

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/33630
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET