Selection into Worst Forms of Child Labor

Little is known about why children participate in activities that are labeled worst forms of child labor. Case-control approaches common in medicine are adapted to consider the correlates of participation in worst forms in the context of two worst forms of child labor in Nepal: portering and ragpicking. Paternal disability is a strong predictor of entry into each of the worst forms, and the presence of productive assets within the child's home reduces the risk a child is observed in a worst form. We argue that our findings are consistent with a model where there are negative amenities associated with these jobs that induce the poor and those with the fewest alternative earnings options to select into these worst forms of child labor in Nepal.