The Effects of Parental Migration on Educational and Child Labour Outcomes for Children Left behind in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Anne Lieke Ebbers , Radboud University
Emily Bergner, Radboud University Nijmegen
Natascha Wagner, Radboud University

The previous literature finds two contradictory effects of parental migration on the educational and child labour outcomes of children left behind. On the one hand, migratory parents send back remittances, which can be used for the left-behind children's education. In a similar vein, more schooling and an improved financial situation might decrease the probability of child labour. On the other hand, the lack of parental presence, care and attention might outweigh the benefits of improved financial means. This meta-analysis synthesises these contradictory results in the current literature. We systematically retrieved 302 estimates from 21 papers published between 2000 and March 3rd, 2023, and available in Scopus and Web of Science. The meta-analysis benefits from employing automated tools, increasing the objectivity of our structural approach. The search string for retrieving the articles was optimised using litsearchr. Articles assessment was done by means of ASReview. Both are machine learning tools that partially automate search terms and abstract selection. The meta-impact of parental migration on educational attainment, educational performance, educational expenditures, and child labour is analysed. Preliminary analyses reveal that family disruption, i.e., the substitution effect, seems to have a bigger effect than the financial benefits, the income effect, stemming from parental migration. Accordingly, this paper contributes to the current literature by building a stronger evidence base, particularly by obtaining higher statistical power and estimating robustness and uncertainty in effect sizes, whereby special attention is paid to heterogeneity in effects.

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 Presented in Session 40. Flash Session Family Effects on Children