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Inequality of Opportunity in the Labor Market for Higher Education Graduates in Egypt and Jordan

Author

Listed:
  • Caroline Krafft

    (University of Minnesota)

  • Ragui Assaad

    (University of Minnesota)

Abstract

In the Middle East and North Africa, unequal opportunities occur in both the education system and the labor market. The outcomes that individuals achieve in the labor market depend on circumstances beyond their control, such as gender or parents’ education, as well as the effort they expend in succeeding in the education system and in the labor market itself. The extent to which outcomes depend on circumstances outside an individual’s control is typically referred to as inequality of opportunity. It could be that unequal opportunities in the labor market are due to unequal human capital (pre-market inequality) or, alternatively, to individuals being treated unequally in the labor market even after accounting for differences in their human capital (in-market inequality). This paper tests whether there is in-market inequality of opportunity in Egypt and Jordan, focusing on the labor market experiences of higher education graduates. Specifically, the paper examines whether a number of labor market outcomes are affected by circumstances, such as family background, gender, and place of birth, after carefully controlling for the type and quality of human capital an individual possesses. We find that substantial in-market inequality exists in both settings, but more so in Egypt, suggesting that the functioning of the labor market itself is a substantial source of inequality of opportunity.

Suggested Citation

  • Caroline Krafft & Ragui Assaad, 2015. "Inequality of Opportunity in the Labor Market for Higher Education Graduates in Egypt and Jordan," Working Papers 932, Economic Research Forum, revised Aug 2015.
  • Handle: RePEc:erg:wpaper:932
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    3. repec:dau:papers:123456789/1552 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Shireen AlAzzawi & Vladimir Hlasny, 2020. "Vulnerable employment of Egyptian, Jordanian, and Tunisian youth: Trends and determinants," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-166, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Saidi Anis & Hamdaoui Mekki, 2021. "Level of Fairness and Justice in Labor Market: Evidence from Tunisia Post-Revolution," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 12(3), pages 1187-1214, September.
    3. Mesbah Fathy Sharaf & Ahmed Shoukry Rashad & Elhussien Ibrahim Mansour, 2019. "Son Preference and Child Under nutrition in the Arab Countries: Is There a Gender Bias against Girls?," Middle East Development Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(2), pages 205-230, July.
    4. Huda Mohamed Mukhtar Ahmed & Eiman Adil Mohamed Osman & Hatim Ameer Mahran, 2020. "Inequality of Opportunity in The Labor Market: Evidence from Sudan," Journal of Social Science Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 7(2), pages 38-56, December.
    5. Adely, Fida Issa J. & Mitra, Ankushi & Mohamed, Menatalla & Shaham, Adam, 2021. "Poor education, unemployment and the promise of skills: The hegemony of the “skills mismatch” discourse," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).

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