IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wdevel/v38y2010i9p1297-1314.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Employment Vulnerability and Earnings in Urban West Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Bocquier, Philippe
  • Nordman, Christophe J.
  • Vescovo, Aude

Abstract

Summary This article develops indicators of vulnerability in employment in seven economic capitals of West Africa and studies their links with individual incomes. Quantitative, distributional and qualitative analyses show that vulnerability compensating mechanism is mainly seen in the informal sector, in the upper tail of the earnings distribution and particularly in the circumstance of visible underemployment. Employment vulnerability is not compensated for the poorest workers in the private sector. Long "job queues" and weak institutional protection of workers may have reduced bargaining power in the formal sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Bocquier, Philippe & Nordman, Christophe J. & Vescovo, Aude, 2010. "Employment Vulnerability and Earnings in Urban West Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(9), pages 1297-1314, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:38:y:2010:i:9:p:1297-1314
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305-750X(10)00030-6
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:dau:papers:123456789/10597 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Appleton, Simon & Hoddinott, John & Krishnan, Pramila, 1999. "The Gender Wage Gap in Three African Countries," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 47(2), pages 289-312, January.
    3. Lanfranchi, Joseph & Ohlsson, Henry & Skalli, Ali, 2002. "Compensating wage differentials and shift work preferences," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 393-398, February.
    4. Mohamed Jellal & Christophe Nordman & Francois-Charles Wolff, 2008. "Evidence on the glass ceiling effect in France using matched worker-firm data," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(24), pages 3233-3250.
    5. Lawrence F. Katz, 1986. "Efficiency Wage Theories: A Partial Evaluation," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1986, Volume 1, pages 235-290, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Michael French & Laura Dunlap, 1998. "Compensating wage differentials for job stress," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(8), pages 1067-1075.
    7. Christopher A. Pissarides, 2000. "Equilibrium Unemployment Theory, 2nd Edition," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262161877, December.
    8. Mozaffar Qizilbash, 2006. "Philosophical Accounts of Vagueness, Fuzzy Poverty Measures and Multidimensionality," Economic Studies in Inequality, Social Exclusion, and Well-Being, in: Achille Lemmi & Gianni Betti (ed.), Fuzzy Set Approach to Multidimensional Poverty Measurement, chapter 1, pages 9-28, Springer.
    9. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4377 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Lee, Lung-Fei, 1983. "Generalized Econometric Models with Selectivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 51(2), pages 507-512, March.
    11. Daniel, Christophe & Sofer, Catherine, 1998. "Bargaining, Compensating Wage Differentials, and Dualism of the Labor Market: Theory and Evidence for France," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 16(3), pages 546-575, July.
    12. Hwang, Hae-shin & Mortensen, Dale T & Reed, W Robert, 1998. "Hedonic Wages and Labor Market Search," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 16(4), pages 815-847, October.
    13. Card, David, 2001. "Estimating the Return to Schooling: Progress on Some Persistent Econometric Problems," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 69(5), pages 1127-1160, September.
    14. Charles Brown, 1980. "Equalizing Differences in the Labor Market," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 94(1), pages 113-134.
    15. World Bank, 2001. "The World Bank Annual Report 2001," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13934, December.
    16. World Bank, 2000. "The World Bank Annual Report 2000," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13935, December.
    17. Achille Lemmi & Gianni Betti (ed.), 2006. "Fuzzy Set Approach to Multidimensional Poverty Measurement," Economic Studies in Inequality, Social Exclusion, and Well-Being, Springer, number 978-0-387-34251-1, Fall.
    18. Petri Böckerman & Pekka Ilmakunnas, 2006. "Do job disamenities raise wages or ruin job satisfaction?," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(3), pages 290-302, April.
    19. Maloney, William F., 2004. "Informality Revisited," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(7), pages 1159-1178, July.
    20. Lanfranchi, Joseph & Ohlsson, Henry & Skalli, Ali, 2002. "Compensating wage differentials and shift work preferences," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 393-398, February.
    21. Elisabetta Magnani, 2001. "Market Volatility and the Structure of US Earnings," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 15(1), pages 57-80, March.
    22. Kuepie, Mathias & Nordman, Christophe J. & Roubaud, François, 2009. "Education and earnings in urban West Africa," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 491-515, September.
    23. Ambra Poggi, 2007. "Do Satisfactory Working Conditions Contribute to Explaining Earning Differentials in Italy? A Panel Data Approach," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 21(4‐5), pages 713-733, December.
    24. Ralitza Dimova & Christophe J. Nordman & François Roubaud, 2010. "Allocation of Labor in Urban West Africa: Insights from the Pattern of Labor Supply and Skill Premiums," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(1), pages 74-92, February.
    25. Fernández, Rosa M. & Nordman, Christophe J., 2009. "Are there pecuniary compensations for working conditions?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 194-207, April.
    26. World Bank, 2000. "The World Bank Annual Report 2000," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13936, December.
    27. Mozaffar Qizilbash, 2001. "Vague language and precise measurement: the case of poverty," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 41-58.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4294 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Ndamsa Dickson Thomas & Baye Mendjo Francis & Epo Boniface Ngah, 2013. "Responsiveness of Private Sector Household Income to Employment Vulnerability in Cameroon," EuroEconomica, Danubius University of Galati, issue 1(32), pages 153-177, May.
    3. Fernández, Rosa M. & Nordman, Christophe J., 2009. "Are there pecuniary compensations for working conditions?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 194-207, April.
    4. Ambra Poggi, 2007. "Do Satisfactory Working Conditions Contribute to Explaining Earning Differentials in Italy? A Panel Data Approach," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 21(4‐5), pages 713-733, December.
    5. Petri Böckerman & Pekka Ilmakunnas, 2006. "Do job disamenities raise wages or ruin job satisfaction?," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(3), pages 290-302, April.
    6. Nikolaos Georgantzis & Efi Vasileiou, 2014. "Are Dangerous Jobs Paid Better? European Evidence," Research in Labor Economics, in: New Analyses of Worker Well-Being, volume 38, pages 163-192, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    7. Christophe J. Nordman & Smriti Sharma, 2018. "Pecuniary returns to working conditions in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-72, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Smriti Sharma & Christophe Nordman, 2018. "Pecuniary returns to working conditions in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series 72, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Rafael Muñoz de Bustillo & Enrique Fernández-Macías & José-Ignacio Antón & Fernando Esteve, 2011. "Measuring More than Money," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14072.
    10. Mathias Kuepié & Christophe J. Nordman, 2016. "Where Does Education Pay Off in Sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Two Cities of the Republic of Congo," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(1), pages 1-27, January.
    11. Haoran He & David Neumark & Qian Weng, 2021. "Do Workers Value Flexible Jobs? A Field Experiment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(3), pages 709-738.
    12. Haoran He & David Neumark & Qian Weng, 2019. "Do Workers Value Flexible Jobs? A Field Experiment on Compensating Differentials," Natural Field Experiments 00667, The Field Experiments Website.
    13. Mathias Kuepie & Christophe Nordman, 2011. "Éducation et marchés du travail à Brazzaville et Pointe Noire (Congo-Brazzaville)," Working Papers DT/2011/11, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    14. repec:dau:papers:123456789/7386 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Serena Yu & David Peetz, 2019. "Non‐Standard Time Wage Premiums and Employment Effects: Evidence from an Australian Natural Experiment," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 57(1), pages 33-61, March.
    16. Christophe Nordman & Faly Rakotomanana & Anne-Sophie Robilliard, 2009. "Gender Disparities in the Malagasy Labour Market," Working Papers DT/2009/08, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    17. Jos Van Ommeren & Mihails Hazans, 2008. "Workers' Valuation of the Remaining Employment Contract Duration," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 75(297), pages 116-139, February.
    18. Ralitza Dimova & Christophe J. Nordman & François Roubaud, 2010. "Allocation of Labor in Urban West Africa: Insights from the Pattern of Labor Supply and Skill Premiums," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(1), pages 74-92, February.
    19. Tadashi Sakai & Naomi Miyazato, 2014. "Who values the family-friendly aspects of a job? Evidence from the Japanese labour market," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 65(3), pages 397-413, September.
    20. Desiere, Sam & Walter, Christian, 2023. "The Shift Premium: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 16460, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    21. StÈphane Bonhomme & GrÈgory Jolivet, 2009. "The pervasive absence of compensating differentials," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(5), pages 763-795.
    22. Böckerman, Petri & Ilmakunnas, Pekka & Johansson, Edvard, 2011. "Job security and employee well-being: Evidence from matched survey and register data," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 547-554, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    vulnerability working conditions compensating differentials earnings informal sector West Africa;

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:38:y:2010:i:9:p:1297-1314. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.