Does Globalisation Increase Child Labour?
21 Pages Posted: 12 May 2002
Date Written: April 2002
Abstract
There is no empirical evidence that trade exposure per se increases child labour. As trade theory and household economics lead us to expect, the cross-country evidence seems to indicate that trade reduces or, at worst, has no significant effect on child labour. Consistently with the theory, a comparatively well educated labour force, and active social policies, appear to be conducive to a reduction in child labour. For countries with a largely uneducated workforce, the problem is not so much globalisation, as being allowed to take part in it.
Keywords: Child Labour, Globalisation, Education, Health, Skill Premium, Trade
JEL Classification: D13, F12, I20, J13, J24, O15
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation