Access to dry season community water resources and children's school attendance and work: Evidence from Ghana

Edward Martey, Bright Owusu Asante, Stephen Prah and Prince M. Etwire

International Journal of Educational Development, 2025, vol. 118, issue C

Abstract: This study offers novel empirical insights into the unintended consequences of improved rural water access by examining how dry-season access to community water resources (CWRs) affects children’s school attendance and engagement in labour for profit. Drawing on nationally representative household survey data and addressing endogeneity through instrumental variable techniques and rigorous robustness checks, we find that access to CWRs during the dry season is associated with reduced school attendance and increased child labour for profit. These associations are particularly pronounced among boys and among children in male-headed, adult-headed, and rural households. Importantly, the analysis identifies remittance income and crop diversification as key pathways through which water access influences these outcomes. The findings reveal a critical trade-off in rural development policy and underscore the need to integrate social safeguards into infrastructure investment strategies.

Keywords: Community water; Children’s school attendance; Children’s labour; Remittances income; Ghana (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:injoed:v:118:y:2025:i:c:s0738059325001993

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103401

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