The Long-Term Effects of the Rwandan Genocide on Child Work

35 Pages Posted: 15 Jan 2019

See all articles by Yoo-Mi Chin

Yoo-Mi Chin

Baylor University

Scott Cunningham

Baylor University

Van H. Pham

Baylor University - Department of Economics

Date Written: January 12, 2019

Abstract

We estimate the long-term effect of the Rwandan genocide on the work of the children born after the genocide, using variation in genocide intensity across communes and child work incidence in the 2010 Demographic Health Survey. We instrument for the number of killings at the commune with its distance to the Ugandan border. We find evidence for a lingering effect of genocide. The genocide causes an increase in work and a decrease in school attendance of the children born after the genocide. Doubling the number of killings per capita increases the probability of a child working for someone who is not a household member by 3.35 percentage points, while decreasing the probability of a child attending school by 3.68 percentage points. Our empirical results suggest a long-term impact of the genocide on human capital development that is likely to contribute to Rwanda’s underdevelopment in the future.

Keywords: Conflict, Genocide, Child Work, Schooling, Intergenerational Effect

JEL Classification: D74, J20, I20

Suggested Citation

Chin, Yoo-Mi and Cunningham, Scott and Pham, Van H., The Long-Term Effects of the Rwandan Genocide on Child Work (January 12, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3314506 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3314506

Yoo-Mi Chin (Contact Author)

Baylor University ( email )

One Bear Place
#98003
Waco, TX 76798
United States
254-710-7419 (Phone)
254-710-6142 (Fax)

Scott Cunningham

Baylor University ( email )

One Bear Place #98003
Waco, TX 76798
United States
254-710-4753 (Phone)
254-710-6142 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.scunning.com

Van H. Pham

Baylor University - Department of Economics ( email )

One Bear Place #98003
Waco, TX 76798
United States
(254) 710-3521 (Phone)
(254) 710-6142 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.baylor.edu/van_pham

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
729
Abstract Views
7,786
Rank
75,264
PlumX Metrics