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Labor share, informal sector and development

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  • Maarek, Paul

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the pattern of the labor share of income during the development process. We highlight a U-shapped relationship between development and the labor share. Our theory emphasizes the interplay between firms'monopsony power and the size of the informal sector when the formal labor market has frictions. The size of the informal sector parameterizes workers'outside opportunities in wage setting. In the first stage of development, productivity gains are not compensated by wage increases, as most of workers'outside opportunities depend on the informal sector whose productivity remains unchanged. The labor share decreases as a result. In the second stage of development, outside opportunities rely more on productivity in formal firms as the formal sector expands. Consequently, the labor share increases. We then use a policy experiment, namely capital account liberalization episodes, in order to determine the causal impact of economic development on the labor share.

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  • Maarek, Paul, 2012. "Labor share, informal sector and development," MPRA Paper 38756, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:38756
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    3. Carlos Bethencourt & Fernando Perera-Tallo, 2011. "Predation, Labor Share and Development," DEGIT Conference Papers c016_039, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade.
    4. Lei Ji & Juin‐Jen Chang & Chien‐Yu Huang, 2016. "Unionization, market structure, and economic growth," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 82(3), pages 935-951, January.
    5. Guerriero, Marta & Sen, Kunal, 2012. "What Determines the Share of Labour in National Income? A Cross-Country Analysis," IZA Discussion Papers 6643, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Josef C. Brada & El-hadj Bah, 2014. "Growing Income Inequality as a Challenge to 21st Century Capitalism," a/ Working Papers Series 1402, Italian Association for the Study of Economic Asymmetries, Rome (Italy).
    7. Razgūnė Aušra & Lazutka Romas, 2017. "Labor Share in National Income: Implications in the Baltic Countries," Review of Economic Perspectives, Sciendo, vol. 17(2), pages 121-139, June.
    8. Mehdi Senouci, 2014. "The Habakkuk hypothesis in a neoclassical framework," Working Papers hal-01206032, HAL.
    9. Raihan, Selim, 2021. "Functional Income Distribution and Inequality in the Asia-Pacific Countries," MPRA Paper 110469, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Development ; Informal sector ; Labor share ; Matching frictions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • J42 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets

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