Abstract
This paper focuses on the role that inequality plays in shaping political support for child labour regulation policies. We provide a model of the evolution of child labour, fertility and human capital where the heterogeneity between low- and high-skilled workers allows for an endogenous analysis of inequality generated by child labour. Depending on the initial level of inequality, child labour regulation policies can affect the welfare of low- and high-skilled workers in different ways and therefore can have an impact on political support for their introduction. The possible conflicts of interest that may arise between the two groups can help explain the difficulties that many governments have when dealing with the issue of child labour.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anker, R.: The economics of child labor: a framework for measurement. Int. Labor Rev. 139, 257–280 (2000)
Azariadis, C., Drazen, A.: Threshold externalities in economic development. Q. J. Econ. 105(2), 501–526 (1990)
Balothra, S.: Early childhood investments in human capital: parental resources and preferences. Bristol Economics Discussion Paper 04/562. Department of Economics, University of Bristol, UK (2004)
Banerjee, A.: Educational policy and the economics of the family. J. Dev. Econ. 74(1), 3–32 (2004)
Basu, K., Tzannatos, Z.: The global child labor problem what do we know and what can we do? World Bank Econ. Rev. 17(2), 147–173 (2003)
Cigno, A., Rosati, F.: The Economics of Child Labor. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2005)
Cunningham, H.: Combating child labor: the British experience. In: Cunningham, H., Viazzo, P.P. (eds.) Child Labour in Historical Perspective, 1800–1985: Case Studies from Europe, Japan and Colombia, pp. 41–55. UNICEF ICDC, Florence (1996)
Das, S., Mourmouras, A., Rangazas, P.C.: Economic Growth and Development: a Dynamic Dual Economy Approach. Springer International Publishing, Switzerland (2015)
De Herdt R.: Child labour in Belgium: 1800–1914. In: Cunningham, H., Viazzo, P.P. (eds.) Child Labour in Historical Perspective, 1800-1985: Case Studies from Europe, Japan and Colombia, pp. 35–37. UNICEF ICDC, Florence (1996)
De la Croix D., Doepke, M.: Inequality and growth: why differential fertility matters. Am. Econ. Rev. 93(4), 1091–1113 (2003)
De la Croix, D., Doepke, M.: Public versus private education when differential fertility matters. J. Dev. Econ. 73(2), 607–629 (2004)
Dessy, S.E.: A defense of compulsive measures against child labor. J. Dev. Econ. 62, 261–275 (2000)
Dessy, S.E., Knowles, J.: Why is child labor illegal? Eur. Econ. Rev. 52(7), 1275–311 (2008)
Dessy, S.E., Vencatachellum, D.: Explaining cross-country differences in policy response to child labor. Can. J. Econ. 36(1), 1–20 (2003)
Doepke, M., Krueger, D.: Origins and consequences of child labor restrictions: a macroeconomic perspective. NBER Working Paper 12665 (2006)
Doepke, M., Zilibotti, F.: The macroeconomics of child labor regulation. Am. Econ. Rev. 95(5), 1492–1524 (2005)
Galor, O., Tsiddon, D.: The distribution of human capital and economic growth. J. Econ. Growth 2(1), 93–124 (1997)
Galor, O., Weil, D.N.: Population, technology, and growth: from malthusian stagnation to the demographic transition and beyond. Am. Econ. Rev. 90(4), 806–828 (2000)
Galor, O., Zeira, J.: Income distribution and macroeconomics. Rev. Econ. Stud. 60(1), 35–52 (1993)
Hazan, M., Berdugo, B.: Child labour, fertility, and economic growth. Econ. J. 112(482), 810–828 (2002)
Kleinberg, S.: Children’s and mothers wage labor in three Eastern U.S. cities, 1880–1920. Soc. Sci. Hist. 29(1), 45–76 (2005)
Krueger, D., Donohue, J.: On the distributional consequences of child labor legislation. Int. Econ. Rev. 46(3), 785–815 (2005)
Moav, O.: Cheap children and the persistence of poverty. Econ. J. 115, 88–110 (2005)
Nardinelli, C.: Child Labor and the Industrial Revolution. Indiana University Press, Bloomington (1990)
Sarkar, J., Sarkar, D.: Why does child labor persist with declining poverty. Econ. Inq. 54(1), 139–158 (2016)
Stokey, N.L.: Free trade, factor returns, and factor accumulation. J. Econ. Growth 1, 421–447 (1996)
Strulik, H.: Economic growth and stagnation with endogenous health and fertility. J. Popul. Econ. 17, 433–453 (2004)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
D’Alessandro, S., Fioroni, T. Child labour and inequality. J Econ Inequal 14, 63–79 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10888-015-9319-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10888-015-9319-x