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Development and the Labor Share

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Maarek

    (LEMMA - Laboratoire d'économie mathématique et de microéconomie appliquée - UP2 - Université Panthéon-Assas)

  • Elsa Orgiazzi

    (CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UR - Université de Rennes - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

A U-shaped relationship between development and the labor share of income is brought to light. To do so, a panel dataset on the labor share in the manufacturing sector of developing countries is exploited. This dataset has greater coverage than the ones of previous studies focusing on developing countries. These data are also available at the disaggregated level for 28 manufacturing subsectors. This allows us to show that the U-shaped pattern of the labor share is also observed at the subsector level, suggesting that it does not correspond to reallocation forces across manufacturing subsectors during the development process. Standard theories of development economics that feature duality in the labor market easily generate such a pattern.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Maarek & Elsa Orgiazzi, 2020. "Development and the Labor Share," Post-Print hal-02486011, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02486011
    DOI: 10.1093/wber/lhy001
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    Cited by:

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    3. Wu, Huiwan, 2024. "How does enforcement of social insurance law minimize income gaps within firms: From a perspective of worker bargaining power," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    4. Federico Riccio & Lorenzo Cresti & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2022. "The labour share along global value chains. Perspectives and evidence from sectoral interdependence," LEM Papers Series 2022/11, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    5. Arif, Imran, 2021. "Productive knowledge, economic sophistication, and labor share," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    6. Carlos A. Ibarra & Jaime Ros, 2017. "The decline of the labour share in Mexico: 1990-2015," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-183, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Giorgos Gouzoulis, 2022. "Financialisation, globalisation, and the industrial labour share: A comparison between Iran and Thailand," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(1), pages 35-52, January.
    8. Briones Mendoza, Xavier Fernando & Molero Oliva, Leobaldo Enrique & Calderón Zamora, Oscar Xavier, 2018. "La función de producción Cobb-Douglas en el Ecuador," Revista Tendencias, Universidad de Narino, vol. 19(2), pages 45-73, July.
    9. Carlos A. Ibarra & Jaime Ros, 2017. "The decline of the labour share in Mexico: 1990–2015," WIDER Working Paper Series 183, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    development; labor share; dual labor market;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
    • J42 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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