DP7890 School Proximity and Child Labor: Evidence from Rural Tanzania

Author(s):	Florence Kondylis, Marco Manacorda
Publication Date:	June 2010
Keyword(s):	child labor, distance to school, school enrollment
JEL(s):	J22, J82, O12, O55
Programme Areas:	Labour Economics, Public Economics
Link to this Page:	cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=7890

Is improved school accessibility an effective policy tool for reducing child labor in developing countries? We address this question using micro data from rural Tanzania and a regression strategy that attempts to control for non-random location of households around schools as well as classical and nonclassical measurement error in self-reported distance to school. Consistent with a simple model of child labor supply, but contrary to what appears to be a widespread perception, our analysis shows that school proximity leads to a rise in school attendance but no fall in child labor.