Import Tariff Liberalization and Child Labor: Evidence from China

Kaihao Liu, Xuefang Wang and Tingru Zhang

Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2025, vol. 73, issue 2, 679 - 715

Abstract: This study uses a local labor market approach and the Urban Household Survey to explore the effect of import tariff liberalization on child labor. Our findings are as follows. First, import tariff liberalization shock reduces the incidence of child labor significantly. The mitigating effect comes mainly from import tariff liberalization shock specific to male employment. Second, import tariff liberalization affects the incidence of child labor by reducing the opportunity costs of education investment and increasing the returns to schooling. Third, the effects of import tariff liberalization on child labor are heterogeneous across different regions, age groups, hukou status, and household income level.

Date: 2025
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