ERIC Number: EJ979178
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 43
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-166X
EISSN: N/A
New Evidence of the Causal Effect of Family Size on Child Quality in a Developing Country
Ponczek, Vladimir; Souza, Andre Portela
Journal of Human Resources, v47 n1 p64-106 Win 2012
This paper presents new evidence of the causal effect of family size on child quality in a developing-country context. We estimate the impact of family size on child labor and educational outcomes among Brazilian children and young adults by exploring the exogenous variation of family size driven by the presence of twins in the family. Using the Brazilian Census data for 1991, we find that the exogenous increase in family size is positively related to labor force participation for boys and girls and to household chores for young women. We also find negative effects on educational outcomes for boys and girls and negative impacts on human capital formation for young female adults. Moreover, we obtain suggestive evidence that credit and time constraints faced by poor families may explain the findings. (Contains 1 figure, 14 tables and 19 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Females, Family Size, Males, Human Capital, Child Labor, Adolescents, Labor Force Nonparticipants, Causal Models, Quality of Life, Developing Nations, Educational Attainment, Twins, Gender Differences, Housework, Poverty, Employment Level, Well Being, Correlation
University of Wisconsin Press. 1930 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711-2059. Tel: 608-263-0668; Fax: 608-263-1173; e-mail: journals@uwpress.wisc.edu; Web site: http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Brazil
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A