The Poverty Hypothesis and Intergenerational Transmission of Child Labor: Evidence from Ghana

Abstract

This study seeks to find evidence to support the claim that Child labor in Ghana is  mainly a poverty phenomenon and follows an inter-generational pattern. The two  econometric approaches used show that poor households are more likely to send their  children out to work. Furthermore, parents are more likely to send their children out to  work if they were child laborers themselves. The study recommends that policy should  focus on the reduction of poverty since it is a major determinant of child labor, this will  automatically prevent the perpetuation of child labor into the next generation.

Keywords: Poverty Hypothesis, Intergenerational Transmission, Child Labor,  Univariate Logit Model, Bivariate Probit Model, Ghana