Vásquez William F, Bohara Alok K
Lat Am Res Rev. 2010;45(3):165-86.
Using data from the National Survey of Standards of Living conducted in Guatemala in 2000, this article tests the hypothesis that Guatemalan households use child labor and reduce child schooling to cope with household shocks. First, the authors use factor analysis to estimate the latent household propensity to natural disasters and socioeconomic shocks. Then, they estimate bivariate probit models to identify the determinants of child labor and schooling, including household propensity to natural disasters and socioeconomic shocks. Results suggest that households use child labor to cope with natural disasters and socioeconomic shocks. In contrast, the authors found no evidence that suggests that households reduce child schooling to cope with shocks. Findings also indicate that poor households are more likely to use child labor and schooling reduction as strategies to cope with socioeconomic shocks.
本文利用2000年在危地马拉进行的全国生活水平调查数据，检验了危地马拉家庭使用童工并减少儿童上学时间以应对家庭冲击这一假设。首先，作者运用因子分析来估计家庭对自然灾害和社会经济冲击的潜在倾向。然后，他们估计双变量概率模型，以确定童工和上学情况的决定因素，包括家庭对自然灾害和社会经济冲击的倾向。结果表明，家庭使用童工来应对自然灾害和社会经济冲击。相比之下，作者没有发现证据表明家庭会减少儿童上学时间来应对冲击。研究结果还表明，贫困家庭更有可能将使用童工和减少上学时间作为应对社会经济冲击的策略。
