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Eliminating Child Labour: The Promise of a Basic Income

Eliminating Child Labour: The Promise of a Basic Income. Ian Orton. Objectives of presentation. To link the goals of the anti-CL lobby and those of advocates of the BI in a more systematic fashion. To identify how we can develop this link strategically and politically.

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Eliminating Child Labour: The Promise of a Basic Income

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  1. Eliminating Child Labour: The Promise of a Basic Income Ian Orton

  2. Objectives of presentation • To link the goals of the anti-CL lobby and those of advocates of the BI in a more systematic fashion. • To identify how we can develop this link strategically and politically.

  3. BI and child labour: two ships passing at night • Contact between proponents of the elimination of CL and advocates of the BI has been minimal. This represents a missed opportunity. • The anti-CL lobby remains largely unaware of the BI and that there is an established, credible and rich debate surrounding it. • CL must be afforded greater intellectual and strategic priority in our thinking on the BI, and vice versa.

  4. Why does BI hold some promise in reducing child labour? • Poverty is often the main cause of CL and a BI could address this. • Conditional cash transfers [CCTs] have demonstrated some promise in reducing CL (i.e., substantial decline in CL in Latin America during 2000-2004). • However, the evidence is not conclusive and further research is needed. • The same tentative optimism and call for more research is also applicable to the BI.

  5. Potential advantages of using a BI to reduce CL in comparison to CCTs (Part 1) Administrative Advantages • Less administrative costs and less delivery delays; • Building exit strategies into BI programmes would be unnecessary because it is not an transient scheme; • Less moral hazards, potential for corruption or divisive discretion (e.g., the ‘paternalist twitch’ in the early years of Child Support Grant in S Africa); • BI increases general take-up and the take-up of most excluded (e.g. Child Support Grant in South Africa).

  6. Potential advantages of using a BI to reduce CL in comparison to CCTs (Part 2) Social Impact • Increases household income and families can therefore decide how best to spend money according to needs; • Provides long-term guaranteed security which enables long-term planning, therefore interrupting social reproduction of CL; • Less stigmatisation attached since every family with children would be entitled to its receipt; • Less possibility of generating perverse effects (i.e. swollen sphere of non-hazardous CL or greater concealment of hazardous CL).

  7. Benefits of emphasising the elimination of CL to advance the BI • The anti-CL lobby is powerful, well-resourced and possesses considerable political clout. • Emphasising the goal of eliminating CL as an objective and endowing the BI with the capacity to fight CL might make the BI’s chances stronger. • It is more difficult for BI detractors to reject it when the goal of eliminating CL is also present, since CL is an emotive issue. • Strategically-speaking, CL might provide a good point of entry for a BI to mainstream and therefore provide a launching pad to expand the BI agenda further.

  8. Promoting the BI to the Anti-Child Labour Lobby • Need for evidence of positive impact on CL. • Need for sensitivity to the affordability issue. • Connecting CL with BI contributes to mainstreaming CL concerns. A Word of Caution • CL is a complex multidimensional issue. • BI is likely to be more effective as a preventive rather than corrective measure. • Introduce BI with other integrative and complementary measures linked with eliminating CL. • Need to be wary of the BI becoming a one-issue social policy. • BI is likely to be ineffective against the worst forms of CL (e.g., slavery, prostitution).

  9. Recommendations for advancing the BI to eliminate CL • Establishing dialogue with the anti-CL lobby would be important (e.g., presenting at CL conferences). • Further research and discourse is needed on this topic, (i.e., to demonstrate fiscal, political plausibility and lessons from case studies). • Identify which agents/agencies might be willing to support the exploration of the relationship between BI and CL. • Need to explore best strategy for introducing BI into a Society (i.e. to the most vulnerable first and then expand as in Brazil).

  10. Conclusion To summarise: • Collaboration between proponents of the elimination of CL and advocates of the BI could be strategically rewarding and enriching for both groups. • More specifically, the political chances of a BI are stronger because the goal of eliminating CL adds value and appeal to the proposal.

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