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Does Child Labor Decline with Improving Economic Status?

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  • Eric V. Edmonds

Abstract

Between 1993 and 1997, child labor in Vietnam declined by nearly 30 percent while the country’s GDP grew by nearly 9 percent per year on average. Using a simple, nonparametric decomposition, I investigate the relationship between improvements in per capita expenditure and child labor with a panel data set that spans this episode of growth in Vietnam. Improvements in per capita expenditure can explain 80 percent of the decline in child labor that occurs in households whose expenditures improve enough to move out of poverty. This finding suggests a previously undocumented role for economic growth in the amelioration of child labor.

Suggested Citation

  • Eric V. Edmonds, 2005. "Does Child Labor Decline with Improving Economic Status?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 40(1).
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:40:y:2005:i:1:p77-99
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J82 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Labor Force Composition
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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