The Impact of Child Work on Cognitive Development: Results from Four Low to Middle Income Countries
Speaker: Dr Timothy Neal (UNSW)
Seminar Abstract/Summary
The work of Michael Keane (UNSW), Sonya Krutikova (Institute for Fiscal Studies) and Timothy Neal (UNSW) investigates the impact of child work on cognitive development in four Low- and Middle-Income Countries. This work advances the literature by using cognitive test scores collected regardless of school attendance.
They also address a key gap in the literature by controlling for children’s complete time allocation budget. This allows them to estimate effects of different types of work, like chores and market/farm work, relative to specific alternative time-uses, like school or study or play/leisure.
Results show child work is more detrimental to child development to the extent that it crowds out school/study time rather than leisure. The study also shows the adverse effect of time spent on domestic chores is similar to time spent on market and farm work, provided they both crowd out school/study time. Thus, policies to enhance child development should target a shift from all forms of work toward educational activities.
Speaker bio
Timothy Neal is a Research Fellow located in the UNSW School of Economics. His primary research interests include panel data econometrics, machine learning and environmental economics. Thus far he has published in Quantitative Economics, the Journal of Econometrics, the Econometrics Journal and other journals in these areas.
Register now
Contact shannon.stanwell@monash.edu for the registration details.
Event Details
- Date:
- 24 March 2021 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
- Venue:
- Online
- Categories:
- Health Economics; General
Description
Speaker: Dr Timothy Neal (UNSW)
Seminar Abstract/Summary
The work of Michael Keane (UNSW), Sonya Krutikova (Institute for Fiscal Studies) and Timothy Neal (UNSW) investigates the impact of child work on cognitive development in four Low- and Middle-Income Countries. This work advances the literature by using cognitive test scores collected regardless of school attendance.
They also address a key gap in the literature by controlling for children’s complete time allocation budget. This allows them to estimate effects of different types of work, like chores and market/farm work, relative to specific alternative time-uses, like school or study or play/leisure.
Results show child work is more detrimental to child development to the extent that it crowds out school/study time rather than leisure. The study also shows the adverse effect of time spent on domestic chores is similar to time spent on market and farm work, provided they both crowd out school/study time. Thus, policies to enhance child development should target a shift from all forms of work toward educational activities.
Speaker bio
Timothy Neal is a Research Fellow located in the UNSW School of Economics. His primary research interests include panel data econometrics, machine learning and environmental economics. Thus far he has published in Quantitative Economics, the Journal of Econometrics, the Econometrics Journal and other journals in these areas.
Register now
Contact shannon.stanwell@monash.edu for the registration details.