Patterns of Change in Child Labour and Schooling in Turkey: The Impact of Compulsory Schooling

Substantial improvements have taken place in the employment and schooling of children in Turkey. Decomposition analysis based on data from two time periods shows that a substantial part of the drop in child labour and over half of the increase in school enrolment can be attributed to the changing cost and benefit structures of work and schooling rather than to changing population characteristics. This paper establishes that work and schooling are incompatible activities and that the negative association between them has increased over time. The observed changes are attributed to the extension of compulsory schooling and the ban on child labour.