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The agricultural wage gap within rural villages

Author

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  • Baysan, Ceren
  • Dar, Manzoor H.
  • Emerick, Kyle
  • Sadoulet, Elisabeth

Abstract

We use a unique dataset on daily labor-market outcomes for Indian casual workers to study labor reallocation between agricultural and non-agricultural activities within rural areas. We use workers who switch sectors during a period of one to two weeks to estimate an agricultural wage gap that cannot be due to selection on unobservable characteristics. Workers can obtain 21 percent higher wages by taking non-agricultural jobs, many of which are available inside their villages. Surveys reveal that non-agricultural jobs are less preferred because they are harder, suggesting that the agricultural wage gap in rural areas might reflect a compensating differential.

Suggested Citation

  • Baysan, Ceren & Dar, Manzoor H. & Emerick, Kyle & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 2019. "The agricultural wage gap within rural villages," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt8kq8z35d, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:agrebk:qt8kq8z35d
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    2. Delavallade, Clara & Gittard, Melanie Colette Jacqueline & Vaillant, Julia, 2025. "Women and Climate Adaptation in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa : Constraints and Research Priorities," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11095, The World Bank.
    3. Faieta, Elena & Feng, Zhexin & Serafinelli, Michel, 2025. "Rural Employment Evolutions," IZA Discussion Papers 17715, IZA Network @ LISER.
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