Does Globalisation Increase Child Labour?
22 Pages Posted: 12 May 2002 Last revised: 16 Apr 2023
Abstract
There is no empirical evidence that trade exposure per se increases child labour. As tradetheory and household economics lead us to expect, the cross-country evidence seems toindicate that trade reduces or, at worst, has no significant effect on child labour. Consistentlywith the theory, a comparatively well educated labour force, and active social policies, appearto be conducive to a reduction in child labour. For countries with a largely uneducatedworkforce, the problem is not so much globalisation, as being allowed to take part in it.
Keywords: education, globalisation, child labour, skill premium, trade, health
JEL Classification: D13, F12, I20, J13, J24, O15
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation