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Child labor and education in SICA countries: considerations and evidence for regional public policies

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32870/cl.v1i26.7940

Keywords:

trabalho infantil, educação, políticas públicas, SICA

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to provide theoretical elements and empirical evidence on the problem of child labor and its effects on education in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, countries that are members of the Central American Integration System (SICA). For this, data from the Third Regional Comparative Study (TERCE) 2015 and secondary data from international organizations were used. The methodological strategy was mixed, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. The motivation of the study is due to the scarcity of empirically oriented research that addresses the problem in a comparative way between countries in the region. The main results indicate that, on average, infants employed in the labor market or at home have a worse school performance than those who do not work. In addition, there was a “social division” of child labor, with a higher incidence of domestic work for girls and market work for boys. The recurrence of child labor is greater in countries with less product per inhabitant and greater informality of work, which can negatively affect their human capital structure. Finally, regional public policies are recommended within the scope of the SICA countries.

Author Biographies

Carlos Alberto Ramos Torres , Universidade Federal do Paraná

Programa de Pós-graduação em Políticas Públicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Brasil

Roberth Steven Gutiérrez Murillo, Universidad Europea del Atlántico

Programa de Pós-graduação em Gerontologia, Universidad Europea del Atlántico (UNEATLÁNTICO), Espanha. 

Raime Rolando Rodríguez Díaz

Programa de Pós-graduação em Economia, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Brasil.

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Published

2022-01-01 — Updated on 2022-01-11

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Región Latinoamericana: Economía, Política y Sociedad