Do International Labor Standards Contribute to the Persistence of the Child-Labor Problem?

Publisert i

Journal of Economic Growth 15 (1), 2010, pages 1-37

Sammendrag

In recent years, a number of governments and consumer groups in rich countries have tried to discourage the use of child-labor in poor countries through measures such as product boycotts and the imposition of international labor standards. The purported objective of such measures is to reduce the incidence of child-labor in developing countries and thereby improve children’s welfare. In this paper, we examine the effects of such policies from a political-economy perspective. We show that these types of international action on child-labor tend to lower domestic political support within developing countries for banning child-labor. Hence, international labor standards and product boycotts may delay the ultimate eradication of child-labor.

Fulltekst

By Matthias Doepke and Fabrizio Zilibotti
Published June 22, 2011 3:18 PM - Last modified Oct. 25, 2019 10:26 AM