ABSTRACT
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, and in particular Target 8.7, aims, among other things, to end all forms of child labour by 2025. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of existing theoretical and empirical economic research on the causes of child labour, discuss potential policies for eliminating it, and critically evaluate the target indicator 8.7.1. The causes of child labour include household poverty, market imperfections, a lack of access to quality education, and parental characteristics. Owing to the complexity of the problem, no single policy will be effective in achieving Target 8.7. Instead, a context-specific combination of policies is required and should be supported by local, national, and international actors.
