Peer-reviewed article

Effects of public policy on child labour

Sumit Kumar · 1 Jan 2021

Abstract

Income, uncertainty, and relative rewards to employment and education all affect household choices regarding child labor. Because of the phenomenon's complexity, a wide range of policy tools may be employed to address or influence child labor. This analysis of 33 impact assessments takes a broad look at how social protection (credit and microfinance, cash transfers, vouchers, and food programs) and labor programs influence child labor. Despite the difficulty of combining results from various definitions, implementation settings, and policy instruments, certain similarities emerge. Programs that address child labor by decreasing family vulnerability, for example, achieve the intended result. In most instances, transfers decreased child labor. Similarly, programs that assist families in coping with risk, such as health insurance, decrease the use of child labor in the home. Policies geared at boosting adult family members' participation in the labor market or entrepreneurial activity, on the other hand, may lead to an increase in demand for adolescent and child labor.