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Liberalisation and Wage Inequality In India

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  • Rashmi Banga

Abstract

This paper is a pioneering attempt in estimating the impact of three major components of liberalisation on labour productivity and wage inequality in the Indian manufacturing sector, namely FDI, trade and technological progress. The study has shown that these components have led to an improvement in labour productivity in the post- reforms period. However, they have a differential impact on the wages of skilled and unskilled workers. Wage inequality is found to have increased overtime and this has been caused mainly by higher FDI and skill-biased technological progress. An important policy implication is that `to maximise the benefits of FDI, it is important to channelise it towards export-oriented industries, which use larger number of low-skilled workers`. The paper also emphasises on the importance of research and development (R&D) to make technological progress in less skill-biased Indian industries.

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  • Rashmi Banga, 2007. "Liberalisation and Wage Inequality In India," Working Papers id:805, eSocialSciences.
  • Handle: RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:805
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    Cited by:

    1. Sahu, Pritish Kumar, 2010. "FDI, wage inequality and employment in emerging economies: recent evidence from Indian manufacturing," MPRA Paper 35149, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Javed Iqbal & Misbah Nosheen & Syed Nawab Haider Naqvi, 2015. "Trade Shocks and Labour Adjustment: Evidence from Pakistan’s Manufacturing Industries," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 54(3), pages 197-214.
    3. Kaveri Deb & William R. Hauk, 2020. "The Impact of Chinese Imports on Indian Wage Inequality," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 63(2), pages 267-290, June.
    4. Pi, Jiancai & Zhou, Yu, 2013. "Institutional quality and skilled–unskilled wage inequality," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 356-363.
    5. Rosa Abraham, 2019. "Informal Employment and the Structure of Wages in India: A Review of Trends," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 65(S1), pages 102-122, November.
    6. Gupta Manash Ranjan & Dutta Priya Brata, 2014. "Skilled-Unskilled Wage Inequality, Growth of Skilled Labour and Development Policies," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 5(1), pages 103-128, June.
    7. Eckhard Siggel & Pradeep Agrawal, 2009. "The Impact Of Economic Reforms On Indian Manufacturers : Evidence From A Small Sample Survey," Development Economics Working Papers 22930, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    8. Alokesh Baura & Priyanta Ghosh, 2015. "On Wage Inequality, Trade and Technology: Theory and Empirics," Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Discussion Papers 15-09, Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
    9. Li, Xiaochun & Zhou, Yu, 2013. "An economic analysis of remittance of unskilled migration on skilled–unskilled wage inequality in labor host region," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 428-432.
    10. Hashim, Danish & Banga, Rashmi, 2009. "Impact of Trade on Labour Productivity and Wage Inequality in India," MPRA Paper 35200, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Manash Ranjan Gupta & Priya Brata Dutta, 2018. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality and structural transformation in a dual economy," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 311-332, December.
    12. Pan, Lijun & Zhou, Yu, 2013. "International factor mobility, environmental pollution and skilled–unskilled wage inequality in developing countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 826-831.
    13. Gupta, Manash Ranjan & Dutta, Priya Brata, 2011. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality and unemployment: A general equilibrium analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 1977-1983, July.
    14. Sugandha Huria & Manoj Pant, 2018. "Foreign direct investment, welfare and wage inequality in a small open economy: theory and empirics," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 131-166, December.

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    Keywords

    Manufacturing sector; Skills;

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