State child labor laws and the decline of child labor

Between 1880 and 1930, the occupation rate of children age 10 to 15 fell by over 75%. This paper examines whether state laws restricting the employment of child labor contributed to this decline. Using data from the 1880, 1900, and 1910 federal censuses, I test whether minimum age limits for manufacturing employment enacted during this period constrained the occupational choices of children. I use a "difference-in-differences-in-differences" procedure to isolate the effects of the laws from the effects of other forces influencing the demand and supply of child labor. I find that minimum age Limits had relatively hale effect on the occupation choices of children at the turn of the century and conclude that these restrictions contributed hale to the long run decline in child labor, (C) 1999 Academic Press.