Leveling the Intra-Household Playing Field: Compensation and Specialization in Child Labor Allocation

30 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Ximena V. Del Carpio

Ximena V. Del Carpio

World Bank - Independent Evaluation Group

Karen Macours

Paris School of Economics (PSE)

Date Written: January 1, 2009

Abstract

This paper analyzes changes in the allocation of child labor within the household in reaction to exogenous shocks created by a social program in Nicaragua. The paper shows that households that randomly received a conditional cash transfer compensated for some of the intra-household differences, as they reduced child labor more for older boys who used to work more and for boys who were further behind in school. The results also show that households that randomly received a productive investment grant, in addition to the basic conditional cash transfer benefits, both targeted at women, show an increased specialization of older girls in nonagricultural and domestic work, but no overall increase in girls'child labor. The findings suggest that time allocation and specialization patterns in child labor within the household are important factors to understand the impact of a social program.

Keywords: Street Children, Youth and Governance, Labor Policies, Children and Youth, Access to Finance

Suggested Citation

Del Carpio, Ximena V. and Macours, Karen, Leveling the Intra-Household Playing Field: Compensation and Specialization in Child Labor Allocation (January 1, 2009). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4822, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1331881

Ximena V. Del Carpio

World Bank - Independent Evaluation Group ( email )

Washington, DC 20433
United States

Karen Macours (Contact Author)

Paris School of Economics (PSE) ( email )

48 Boulevard Jourdan
Paris, 75014 75014
France

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