Does Part-Time Work During Schooling Affect Post-Compulsory Dropout Rates?

Instrumental variables analysis of part-time work and school dropout in Indonesia using IFLS panel data.

Abstract. This paper studies whether working part-time during the compulsory schooling years affects a student’s decision to drop out of secondary education in Indonesia. Using data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS), I exploit variation in local labour market conditions as an instrument for part-time work during schooling. The results suggest that part-time employment significantly raises the probability of dropping out after the mandatory schooling years, consistent with a model in which early work experience raises the opportunity cost of continuing education for low-income students.

Keywords: education · school dropout · child labour · Indonesia · instrumental variables

Data: Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS), waves 3–5.

Tools: Stata. Undergraduate capstone thesis, New York University Abu Dhabi, 2020.

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