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Remittance Effects on Child Labour: Evidence from Burkina Faso

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  • Olivier Bargain
  • Delphine Boutin

Abstract

This article explores the effects of remittance receipt on child labour in an African context. We focus on Burkina Faso, a country with a high prevalence of child labour and a high rate of migration. Given the complex relationship between remittance receipt and household time allocation decisions, we instrument remittances using economic conditions in remittance-sending countries and explore heterogeneous effects across different types of potential remitters. While remittances have no significant effect on child labour on average, transfers reduce child labour in long-term migrant households, for whom the disruptive effect of migration is no longer felt. We find no gender difference but remittances seem to affect mainly the labour market participation of younger children.

Suggested Citation

  • Olivier Bargain & Delphine Boutin, 2015. "Remittance Effects on Child Labour: Evidence from Burkina Faso," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(7), pages 922-938, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:51:y:2015:i:7:p:922-938
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2015.1010154
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    1. repec:wbk:wbpubs:7339 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Rapoport, Hillel & Docquier, Frederic, 2006. "The Economics of Migrants' Remittances," Handbook on the Economics of Giving, Reciprocity and Altruism, in: S. Kolm & Jean Mercier Ythier (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Giving, Altruism and Reciprocity, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 17, pages 1135-1198, Elsevier.
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    1. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon, 2020. "Development aid, remittances inflows and wages in the manufacturing sector," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 22(2), pages 278-304, December.
    2. Ajefu, Joseph B. & Massacky, Falecia, 2023. "Mobile money, child labour and school enrolment," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10).
    3. Valentina Rotondi & Francesco Billari, 2017. "Mobile Money and School Participation: Evidence from Low Income Countries," Working Papers 109, "Carlo F. Dondena" Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (DONDENA), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.
    4. Azizi, SeyedSoroosh, 2018. "The impacts of workers' remittances on human capital and labor supply in developing countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 377-396.
    5. Bang, James & Mitra, Aniruddha & Abbas, Faisal, 2023. "Remittances and Child Labor in Pakistan: A Tale of Complementarities," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1285, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Arouna Kouandou, 2026. "The role of mobile banking in coping with food insecurity in Burkina Faso," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 18(2), pages 559-580, April.
    7. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2020. "Development Aid, Remittances Inflows and Wages in the Manufacturing Sector of Recipient-Countries," EconStor Preprints 213439, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    8. Cuadros-Meñaca, Andres, 2020. "Remittances, health insurance, and pension contributions: Evidence from Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    9. Kouandou, Arouna, 2025. "The role of remittances in clean energy adoption: New household level insights from West Africa," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    10. Joseph B. Ajefu & Joseph O. Ogebe, 2021. "The effects of international remittances on expenditure patterns of the left‐behind households in Sub‐Saharan Africa," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 405-429, February.
    11. José R. Bucheli & Alok K. Bohara & Matías Fontenla, 2018. "Mixed effects of remittances on child education," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 8(1), pages 1-18, December.
    12. Valentina Rotondi & Francesco C. Billari, 2022. "Mobile Money and School Participation: Evidence from Africa," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(1), pages 343-362, February.

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