Research projects

Project CEMAPRE internal

TitleChild Labor determinants and outcomes in Europe: a historical, comparative and empirical approach (cont.)
ParticipantsGianluca Ferrittu, Pedro Goulart, Nuno Sobreira (Principal Investigator)
SummaryChild labor is a global challenge but understudied. While there is a large literature on present-day
child labor, longitudinal studies are scarce and necessary for informing policy and academic
debates. To advance the understanding of the historical trajectory of child labor, this project
innovates by applying a comparative approach and distinguishing labor contribution across ages. On
the former, it systematizes longitudinal data on child labor variation in Western Europe and
particularly in under-researched areas (Northern and Southern Europe), investigating how it
decreased. On the latter, it will estimate child (10-14 year old) and youth (15-19 year old)
participation rate in the labor market. This project comprises three essays: (i) given most child
labor is in agriculture, it explores its interaction with agricultural development in Europe; (ii)
it identifies the main drivers of overall child labor decline; and (iii) it contrasts the long-term
change of school enrollment and child labor