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Allocation of Female Talent and Cross-Country Productivity Differences

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  • Munseob Lee

Abstract

Cross-country disparities in labour productivity are more pronounced in agriculture than other sectors. I posit that the misallocation of female talent between sectors distorts productivity and formalise a general equilibrium Roy model with gender-specific frictions. If female workers encounter greater barriers in non-agricultural sectors, female workers who are better skilled at non-agricultural jobs may select into the agricultural sector. Analysis of data from sixty-six countries reveals that low-income countries have higher frictions against female workers in non-agricultural sectors. By aligning these frictions with those of the United States, agricultural labour productivity sees gains of 2.5%–7.6%, with GDP per capita rising by 0.5%–1.5% on average.

Suggested Citation

  • Munseob Lee, 2024. "Allocation of Female Talent and Cross-Country Productivity Differences," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 134(664), pages 3333-3359.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:econjl:v:134:y:2024:i:664:p:3333-3359.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ej/ueae056
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    Cited by:

    1. L. Rachel Ngai & Claudia Olivetti & Barbara Petrongolo, 2024. "Gendered change: 150 years of transformation in US hours," Economics Series Working Papers 1046, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    2. Cao, Huoqing & Chen, Chaoran & Xi, Xican, 2024. "Home Production and Gender Gap in Structural Change," MPRA Paper 122334, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Chiplunkar,Gaurav & Tatjana Kleineberg, 2025. "Gender Barriers, Structural Transformation, and Economic Development," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11083, The World Bank.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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