A BEJEAP Advances article.

Abstract

This paper has two objectives. First, we construct a theoretical model which explains the empirical evidence that in developing countries, first-born children are more likely to be child laborers than later-born. Second, we explore the long-run consequences of child labor regulations within our framework. In our model, credit-constrained parents use the labor income from their first-born child to fund the schooling of later-born children. In the presence of such intra-sibling effects, child labor laws which decrease work opportunities for children may backfire, increasing child labor and reducing human capital in the long run.

Submitted: October 10, 2007 · Accepted: June 24, 2008 · Published: July 17, 2008

Recommended Citation

Chesnokova, Tatyana and Vaithianathan, Rhema (2008) "Lucky Last? Intra-Sibling Allocation of Child Labor," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy: Vol. 8 : Iss. 1 (Advances), Article 20.
DOI: 10.2202/1935-1682.1908
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/bejeap/vol8/iss1/art20