Deborah Levison

Areas of Expertise

Child labor and education in poor countries; population studies; gender issues; labor economics; child care

Biography

Deborah Levison, associate professor, is involved in several projects in developing countries on the interrelated topics of children's labor force work and education, child care, and women's employment. Related research has focused on child workers from an industry perspective. She has served as a consultant to the International Labour Organization, World Bank, UNICEF, and Association of Early Childhood Professionals in Minnesota. She spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University's Economic Growth Center before joining the Humphrey Institute in 1992.

She earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan, where she also trained at the Population Studies Center.

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Selected Writings

• The Effect of Domestic Work on Girls' Schooling: Evidence from Egypt; forthcoming in Feminist Economics with minor revisions

• The Effect of Child Work on Schooling: Evidence from Egypt. With Ragui Assaad, University of Minnesota and Nadia Zibani, Center d'Etudes et de Documentation Economiques et Juridiques, Cairo, Egypt, June 2005.

• Dynamics of Child Labor: Labor Force Entry and Exit in Urban Brazil. With Suzanne Duryea (Inter-American Development Bank), Jasper Hoek (New Mexico State University) and David Lam (University of Michigan). Social Protection Discussion Paper No. 0513, The World Bank, Washington, D.C., May 2005.

• Effects of Economic Shocks on Children's Employment and Schooling in Brazil. With Suzanne Duryea, Inter-American Development Bank, Washington D.C., and David Lam, University of Michigan. University of Michigan Population Studies Center Research Report No. 03-541, December 2003.

• Implications of Intermittent Employment for Child Labor Estimates. With Jasper Hoek, University of Michigan, David Lam, University of Michigan, and Suzanne Duryea, Inter-American Development Bank, Washington D.C. University of Michigan Population Studies Center Research Report No. 03-539, September 2003.

• Youth Education and Work in Mexico. With Karine Moe and Felicia Knaul. World Development 29(1), January 2001.

• Women's Employment Status and Hours Employed in Urban Brazil: Does Husbands' Presence Matter? With Rachel Connelly and Deborah S. DeGraff. Labour 15(1): 133-167, 2001.

• Children as Economic Agents. Feminist Economics 6(1): 125-134, Spring 2000.

• Women's Employment and Child Care in Brazil. With Rachel Connelly and Deborah S. DeGraff. Economic Development and Cultural Change 44(3), April 1996.

Courses Taught

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No courses for Fall 2009