Child labor and schooling response to changes in coca production in rural Peru

Type Journal Article - Journal of Development Economics
Title Child labor and schooling response to changes in coca production in rural Peru
Author(s)
Volume 86
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2008
Page numbers 164 -
URL http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VBV-4P1P70H-2/2/85cc5ec886a31043f4fef4d4bbf2e7de
Abstract
Coca eradication and interdiction are the most common policies aimed at reducing the production and distribution of cocaine in the Andes, but little is know about their impact on households. This paper uses the shift in the production of coca leaves from Peru to Colombia in 1995 to analyze the indirect effects of the anti-coca policy on children's allocation of time. After different sensitivity checks, the results indicate that a decrease in coca production is associated with increases in work and hours children living in coca-growing states devote to work within and outside the household, with no effects on schooling outcomes. These findings suggest a previously undocumented indirect effect of drug policies on household behavior.

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