The determinants of child labor in Côte d'Ivoire from 1985 to 2002: exploitation, poverty, or institutional imbalances? Multiple forms of dependence.

Summary This thesis aims to deepen the understanding of child labor in Côte d'Ivoire (1985-2002). It is divided into four parts. The first part resituates the problematic nature of the definition of child labor and highlights, through the use of statistical data, the working conditions to which children are exposed on the plantations. The second part explores the family dynamics of child labor. It analyzes the interactions between the labor offers of adults and children operating within households, and arrives at a fundamental result: the very strong complementarity between women's and children's work. The third part explores the nature of the links that unite the destinies of women and children, by exploiting the contributions of anthropology. The final section examines the impact of institutions on children's well-being, and offers a brief economic policy assessment of child labor. This thesis concludes that child labor is neither the result of household economic poverty alone, nor of systematically exploitative enterprises. While the role of poverty remains undeniable, it is its multiple components (economic, social, access to fundamental rights, etc.) that are at issue, and institutional imbalances are also decisive, whether it be the lack of coordination inherent in legal pluralism, or the inefficiencies of the institutional arrangements in force (the adult labor market in particular), which are likely to be transferred, sometimes indirectly, to children.