Targeting Child Labor in Debt Bondage : Evidence, Theory, and Policy Implications
Despite recent multilateral efforts to single out child labor in debt bondage as one of the worst forms of child labor, several important questions have yet to be addressed: How pervasive is the phenomenon? Are there systematic correlations between...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/05/17742203/targeting-child-labor-debt-bondage-evidence-theory-policy-implications http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17175 |
| Summary: | Despite recent multilateral efforts to
single out child labor in debt bondage as one of the worst
forms of child labor, several important questions have yet
to be addressed: How pervasive is the phenomenon? Are there
systematic correlations between the incidence of children in
debt bondage and the economic, legislative, and financial
development indicators of the economy? How does an
understanding of these correlates affect the way national
and international policy measures aimed at targeting this
form of child labor are perceived? This article addresses
each of these questions. The empirical findings suggest
strong correlation between the likelihood of the incidence
of child labor in debt bondage with the stage of development
of an economy, the stage of financial development, and
enforcement of core labor rights. Building on this evidence,
the article presents a theoretical model that highlights the
drawbacks and merits of a number of policies aimed at
putting checks on child labor in debt bondage. |
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