The Poverty Hypothesis and Intergenerational Transmission of Child Labor: Evidence from Ghana

This study seeks to find evidence to support the claim that Child labor in Ghana is mainly a poverty phenomenon and follows an inter-generational pattern. The two econometric approaches used show that poor households are more likely to send their children out to work. Furthermore, parents are more likely to send their children out to work if they were child laborers themselves. The study recommends that policy should focus on the reduction of poverty since it is a major determinant of child labor, this will automatically prevent the perpetuation of child labor into the next generation.Keywords: Poverty Hypothesis, Intergenerational Transmission, Child Labor, Univariate Logit Model, Bivariate Probit Model, Ghan