Lucky last? Intra-sibling allocation of child labor

Abstract

This paper has two objectives. First, we construct a theoretical model which explains the empirical evidence that in developing countries, first-born children are more likely to be child laborers than later-born. Second, we explore the long-run consequences of child labor regulations within our framework. In our model, credit-constrained parents use the labor income from their first-born child to fund the schooling of later-born children. In the presence of such intra-sibling effects, child labor laws which decrease work opportunities for children may backfire, increasing child labor and reducing human capital in the long run.