The Dark Side of Batteries: Cobalt Mining and Children's Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Malpede, Maurizio
• 署名单位: University of Pavia; Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC)
• 刊物名称: INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0020-6598
• DOI: 10.1111/iere.70001
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: labor; HEALTH; katanga

摘要

Although extractive industries have been associated with women's empowerment and lower infant mortality in Africa, this article provides evidence that the rapid increase in the demand for lithium-ion batteries reduced the education rates of children living in cobalt mining villages in sub-Saharan Africa. Children exposed to cobalt mining also exhibit slower cognitive and physical development than those living in noncobalt mining communities. The estimates are robust to spatial spillover effects and selective migration. This study highlights the need for policies that enforce child labor regulations in the cobalt mining sector, particularly because cobalt is crucial to technological development. Such policies can help mitigate the negative economic consequences for cobalt-rich communities in the long run.