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WP201829.pdf
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We study the relationship between child work and cognitive development in four Low and Middle Income Countries. We address a key weakness in the literature by including children’s full time-use vector in the analysis, which leads to different findings from previous studies which do not distinguish between alternative counter-factual activities. We find child work is only detrimental if it crowds out school/study time rather than leisure. Furthermore, the marginal effects of substituting domestic chores or economic activities for school/study time are similar. Thus, policies to enhance child development should target a shift from all forms of work toward educational activities.
Authors
![Sonya Krutikova](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/Sonya_Krutikova.jpg?itok=SeQ7lGGW)
Deputy Research Director
Sonya Krutikova is an Associate Professor of Economics at Manchester University and IFS Deputy Research Director.
![Michael Keane](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-07/Mike%20Keane.jpg?itok=NDMhQQfq)
Research Associate John Hopkins Carey Business School
Michael Keane is a Wm. Polk Carey Distinguished Professor at the John Hopkins Carey Business School.
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
Timothy Neal
Working Paper details
- DOI
- 10.1920/wp.ifs.2018.2918
- Publisher
- The IFS
Suggested citation
M, Keane and S, Krutikova and T, Neal. (2018). The impact of child work on cognitive development: results from four Low to Middle Income countries. London: The IFS. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/impact-child-work-cognitive-development-results-four-low-middle-income-countries (accessed: 30 June 2024).
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