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Fiscal policy, labour market, and inequality: Diagnosing South Africa's anomalies in the shadow of racial discrimination

Author

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  • Giorgio d'Agostino
  • Francesco Giuli
  • Marco Lorusso
  • Margherita Scarlato

Abstract

Inequality in South Africa is the enduring legacy of racial discrimination. We use a dynamic perspective to show the linkages between persistent effects of discrimination in the labour market and the efficacy of redistributive fiscal policy in reducing inequality. We present a machine-learning analysis based on household survey data in the Post-Apartheid Labour Market Series to predict the main drivers of the relationship between workers' heterogeneous socioeconomic characteristics, the behaviour of variables related to labour market status, and labour income inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Giorgio d'Agostino & Francesco Giuli & Marco Lorusso & Margherita Scarlato, 2020. "Fiscal policy, labour market, and inequality: Diagnosing South Africa's anomalies in the shadow of racial discrimination," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-122, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2020-122
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jorge Agüero & Michael R. Carter & Julian May, 2007. "Poverty and Inequality in the First Decade of South Africa's Democracy: What can be Learnt from Panel Data from KwaZulu-Natal?," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 16(5), pages 782-812, November.
    2. Lydia Assouad & Lucas Chancel & Marc Morgan, 2018. "Extreme Inequality: Evidence from Brazil, India, the Middle East, and South Africa," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 108, pages 119-123, May.
    3. Zizzamia, Rocco, 2020. "Is employment a panacea for poverty? A mixed-methods investigation of employment decisions in South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    4. Margherita Scarlato & Giorgio d'Agostino, 2019. "Cash Transfers, Labor Supply, and Gender Inequality: Evidence from South Africa," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 159-184, October.
    5. Haroon Bhorat & Kezia Lilenstein & Morné Oosthuizen & Amy Thornton, 2020. "Structural transformation, inequality, and inclusive growth in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-50, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Andrew Kerr & Martin Wittenberg, 2019. "Earnings and employment microdata in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-47, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Konstantinos Angelopoulos & Sophia Dimeli & Apostolis Philippopoulos & Vanghelis Vassilatos, 2010. "Rent-seeking competition from state coffers in Greece: a calibrated DSGE model," Working Papers 120, Bank of Greece.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jeanne Terblanche & Dawie van Lill & Hylton Hollander, 2023. "Fiscal policy and dimensions of inequality in South Africa: A time-varying coefficient approach," Working Papers 05/2023, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inequality; Discrimination; Job search; Labour market; Economic equilibrium; Search frictions;
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