This paper first provides an overview of the levels of minimum wages in Latin America and their true impact on the distribution of wages using both numerical measures and kernel density plots. It identifies numeraire' effects higher in the wage distribution and lighthouse' or reference effects in the unregulated or informal' sector. The final section then employs panel employment data from Colombia, a country where minimum wages seem high and very binding, to quantify the effects of an increase on wages and employment. The evidence suggests that in the Latin American context, the minimum wage has impacts beyond those usually contemplated in the advanced country literature.
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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number
9800.
Length: Date of creation: Jun 2003 Date of revision: Publication status: published relationship to a non-chapter. This should not happen. Please contact NBER. Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:9800
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Find related papers by JEL classification: R1 - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics - - General Regional Economics R3 - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics - - Production Analysis and Firm Location
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