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Labor market reform and poverty – the role of informal sector

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  • Marjit, Sugata
  • Kar, Saibal
  • Maiti, Dibyendu

Abstract

Recent papers, discussing the impact of economic reform in India, argue that the positive effect of reform is more significant in states, which are not ‘labor friendly’. Also labor market reforms seem to be a pre-condition for success of liberal policies as far as their impact on poverty is concerned. We argue that the exact mechanism behind such a link is yet to be clarified. We try to provide such a mechanism in terms of a general equilibrium model involving formal and informal workers. Our framework is capable of providing such a link and shows that there are occasions when such link is violated.

Suggested Citation

  • Marjit, Sugata & Kar, Saibal & Maiti, Dibyendu, 2008. "Labor market reform and poverty – the role of informal sector," MPRA Paper 23999, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2009.
  • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:23999
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hasan, Rana & Mitra, Devashish & Ural, Beyza P., 2007. "Trade Liberalization, Labor-Market Institutions, and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Indian States," India Policy Forum, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 3(1), pages 71-122.
    2. Petia Topalova, 2007. "Trade Liberalization, Poverty and Inequality: Evidence from Indian Districts," NBER Chapters, in: Globalization and Poverty, pages 291-336, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Timothy Besley & Robin Burgess, 2004. "Can Labor Regulation Hinder Economic Performance? Evidence from India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(1), pages 91-134.
    4. Esfahani, Hadi S & Salehi-Isfahani, Djavad, 1989. "Effort Observability and Worker Productivity: Towards an Explanation of Economic Dualism," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(397), pages 818-836, September.
    5. Marjit, Sugata, 2003. "Economic reform and informal wage--a general equilibrium analysis," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 371-378, October.
    6. Carruth, Alan A. & Oswald, Andrew J., 1981. "The determination of union and non-union wage rates," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 285-302.
    7. Kar, Saibal & Marjit, Sugata, 2009. "Urban informal sector and poverty," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 631-642, October.
    8. Sugata Marjit & Saibal Kar & Hamid Beladi, 2007. "Trade Reform and Informal Wages," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(2), pages 313-320, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Saibal Kar & Mausumi Kar, 2015. "Liberalized trade policy and inequality: Evidence from Post-Multi-Fibre Arrangement India and some theoretical issues," WIDER Working Paper Series 007, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Mausumi Kar & Saibal Kar, 2015. "Liberalized trade policy and inequality: Evidence from Post-Multi-Fibre Arrangement India and some theoretical issues," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2015-007, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Dibyendu Maiti & Kunal Sen, 2010. "The Informal Sector in India," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 5(1), pages 1-13, April.
    4. Mandal, Biswajit & Ghosh, Sujata, 2019. "Reformatory Policies and Factor Prices in a Developing Economy with Informal Sector," GLO Discussion Paper Series 367, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Informal labor; capital mobility; labor market reform;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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