The impact of parental health on child labor: the case of Bangladesh

Abstract

International audience In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of studies that examine the economics of child labor and more particularly the determinants of children's labor supply in developing countries. This paper provides a new angle on the causes of child labor force participation by showing that parents' health affects child labor through family labor supply decisions. Using a survey with detailed information on health matters for Bangladesh, we find that child labor supply is sometimes takes the form of an added worker effect in reaction to certain types of health shock.