The effect of weather shocks and risk on schooling and child labour in rural Indonesia

Agriculture employs 60% of workers in rural Indonesia whose crop production and incomes are threatened by variation in climatic conditions. Delayed monsoon onset related to El Niño is likely to become more frequent with climate change. Using the Indonesian Family Life Survey, IFLS, this paper examines how schooling and child labour are affected by ex post climate shock, delayed monsoon onset. A minor research question studies the impact of ex ante climate risk on school entry. The probability of continuing from primary to secondary school is reduced when a delayed onset coincides with the transition year. In other respects, monsoon onset does not affect education of rural children. However, riskier distribution of rain postpones school entry for young children. Moreover, I find that delayed onset increases child labour. Finally, I do not find any gender differences in schooling or labour supply when children exposure to delayed monsoon onset.