ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the historical context of children's labor. It then outlines the moral foundations of the terms of debate over children as they are reflected in international law and echoed by children's advocates around the world. The chapter poses the major welfare considerations before policymakers: When does work help children? When does it pose a threat to their intellectual growth? It also reviews the evidence about the questions that has been uncovered by labor economics and school psychology. The chapter describes the recent political economy of each of the country cases of our comparative study, emphasizing the critical events since the 1980s that have raised concern among children's advocates and lawmakers in Chile, Peru, and Mexico. Latin American governments face the daunting task of consolidating their progress while reducing poverty and attending to the unmet social needs left by the 1980s. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
