The Short- and Longer-Term Effects of a Child Labor Ban.

This article examines the impact of Brazil’s 1998 law that raised the minimum employment age from 14 to 16 on child labor and school attendance, focusing on urban boys who represent half of paid child labor in the country. Using regression discontinuity designs and data from the Brazilian Household Survey, the study finds that the law significantly reduced paid work—especially informal employment—by about 35 percent among affected boys and increased the share attending school exclusively by around 11 percentage points. These effects persisted beyond age 16, with the affected cohort less likely to be employed and more likely to attend school up to age 18, although the increase in schooling did not translate into higher high-school graduation rates, likely due to poor education quality and lack of vocational alternatives. The findings suggest that while enforced child-labor bans can effectively reduce child labor and promote schooling, complementary improvements in education and vocational training may be necessary to enhance long-term outcomes.