Date of Publication

8-4-2023

Document Type

Bachelor's Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts Major in Economics

Subject Categories

Labor and Employment Law | Law

College

School of Economics

Department/Unit

Economics

Honor/Award

Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award

Thesis Advisor

Paulynne Castillo
Roberto Raymundo
Joel Tanchuco

Defense Panel Chair

Paulynne Castillo

Defense Panel Member

Roberto Raymundo
Joel Tanchuco

Abstract (English)

Poverty is widely considered the root cause of child labor in the Philippines. Thus, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) was designed to alleviate poverty and reduce child labor through financial assistance, conditional on welfare investments like children’s education. Using 2017, 2019, and 2020 data from the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS), the study estimated the differential impact of 4Ps on child labor before and during COVID-19 across varying demographic, socio-economic, and locational characteristics. Results from the propensity score matching (PSM) and difference-in-differences (DID) model indicated that since cash transfers cannot fully offset the opportunity cost of children’s education, children of beneficiaries are still likely to work. The findings also revealed that female-led families, households residing in rural areas, and households with family sizes greater than four have a higher likelihood of engaging in child labor. Moreover, despite living above the poverty threshold, households could still be forced to engage in child labor due to increasing inflation rates and declining purchasing power.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Electronic

Keywords

Child labor; Government aid

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Embargo Period

8-4-2023

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