This paper investigates the hypothesis that children work because their income contribution is necessary for the household to meet subsistence expenditures. It uses the fact that a testable implication of this hypothesis is that the wage elasticity of child labor supply is negative. Previous...

This paper surveys 11 international comparative studies of poverty, income distribution, and the elderly. Although it focuses on OECD economies, some 44 countries are covered. The paper addresses a series of questions. What level are the incomes of the elderly relative to the population as a...

This paper provides an overview of labor market trends, and key policy issues worldwide. It begins with a statistical overview of major indicators relating to the labor market, highlighting the diverging experiences between the high-income countries, and many developing regions. It then reviews...

The World Bank's analysis of cross-country data on human capital indicates that Uganda is underinvesting in the future productivity of its citizens. A child born in Uganda today will onlybe 38 percent as productive when she grows up as she could be if she enjoyed complete education and full...

Investing in human capital is essential for Tanzania. to generate future income and achieve sustainable development, people are the most important asset countries have. Part two of this economic update discusses where Tanzania stands in terms of its investments in human capital for both children...

In an era of globalization and rapidly changing technology, the nature of work and skills required is also rapidly changing, and it calls for an urgent need to redefine the types of skills considered in public policy. Technology is reshaping the demand for skills by reducing the value of skills...

Human capital is the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate over their lives and that enable them to realize their potential as productive members of society is an important contributor to the wealth of all nations regardless of income status. While Azerbaijan has achieved...

This is the third edition of the Liberia Economic Update (LEU), a series of annual reports that assesses recent economic developments in Liberia and assists the government and its development partners in identifying emerging issues and addressing persistent challenges. It presents a broad...

In this paper, authors assess the economic impacts of increased heat stress in humans in Ghana. As mean global temperatures increase, human capacity for manual labor is affected, particularly in activities with sun exposure such as agriculture and construction. This aspect of climate change is...

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) hamper the development of human capital for current and future generations. NCDs are chronic conditions that are often untreatable and require close monitoring to control the progression of the disease. They account for 70 percent of all deaths worldwide and...