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Wage misalignment in CFA countries: are labor market policies to blame?

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  • Rama,Martin G.

Abstract

It seems natural to attribute to wage rigidity (stemming from highly distortionary labor policies) the over-valuation of the CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc after the negative external shocks of the 1980s. Using a variety of data sources, the author assesses the actual rigidity of wages in CFA countries and the relationship of wage rigidity to labor policies. He shows that: a) Workers'wages are higher in CFA countries than in similar countries outside the CFA zone and higher than the earnings of similar self-employed workers within the same countries. b) Real wages are rigid (in the sense of closely following fluctuations in governmental wages and consumer prices) but there is no evidence of nominal wage rigidity. c) Labor policies may not be the source of wage misalignment and real rigidity. When compared internationally, minimum wages in CFA countries are not high enough to account for the observed wage misalignment, and their adjustment over time has been responsive to real shocks. d) Unions in the private sector seem to have been more instrumental in creating wage moderation than in creating wage drift in CFA countries. Their members usually get lower wages than similar nonunionized workers, probably because of the subordinate nature of the labor movement in CFA countries. e) Government pay policies and (possibly) limited competition in product markets are the most probable causes of wage misalignment and real wage rigidity in CFA countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Rama,Martin G., 1998. "Wage misalignment in CFA countries: are labor market policies to blame?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1873, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:1873
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Jean-Paul Azam, 2004. "Poverty and Growth in the WAEMU after the 1994 Devaluation," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 13(4), pages 536-562, December.
    4. Bouoiyour, jamal & Kuikeu, Oscar, 2007. "Pertinence de la dévaluation du Franc CFA de janvier 1994 : Une évaluation par le taux de change réel d’équilibre. Cas de l’économie camerounaise [Relevance of the CFA France devaluation in January," MPRA Paper 31357, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Günther, Isabel & Launov, Andrey, 2012. "Informal employment in developing countries," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 88-98.
    6. Blunch, Niels-Hugo & Verner, Dorte, 2001. "Asymmetries in union relative wage effects in Ghanaian manufacturing - an analysis applying quantile regressions," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2570, The World Bank.
    7. Blunch, Niels-Hugo & Verner, Dorthe, 2001. "Assymetries in Union Relative Wage Effects in Ghanian Manufacturing - An analysis Applying Quantile Regressions," CLS Working Papers 01-7, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Centre for Labour Market and Social Research.
    8. Ralitza Dimova & Christophe J. Nordman & François Roubaud, 2010. "Allocation of Labor in Urban West Africa: Insights from the Pattern of Labor Supply and Skill Premiums," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(1), pages 74-92, February.
    9. Azam, Jean-Paul & Ris, Catherine, 2001. "Rent-sharing, hold-up, and manufacturing wages in Cote d'Ivoire," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2600, The World Bank.
    10. Decaluwe, Bernard & Dissou, Yazid & Robichaud, Véronique, 1999. "Regionalization and Labour Market Rigidities in Developing Countries: A CGE Analysis of UEMOA," Cahiers de recherche 9917, Université Laval - Département d'économique.
    11. Quinn, Michael A. & Rubb, Stephen, 2006. "Mexico's labor market: The importance of education-occupation matching on wages and productivity in developing countries," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 147-156, April.
    12. Nicolai Kristensen & Dorte Verner, 2008. "Labor Market Distortions in Côte d'Ivoire: Analyses of Employer‐Employee Data from the Manufacturing Sector," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 20(3), pages 343-377.
    13. Houssa, Romain, 2008. "Monetary union in West Africa and asymmetric shocks: A dynamic structural factor model approach," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(1-2), pages 319-347, February.
    14. Kaptouom, Patricia C., 2007. "The West African economic and Monetary Union: past and present of an exceptional north-south-south-integration," Discussion Papers 2007/19, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    15. Dimova, Ralitza & Nordman, Christophe Jalil & Roubaud, François, 2008. "Allocation of Labour in Urban West Africa: Implication for Development Policies," IZA Discussion Papers 3558, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. DJAHINI, Edém, 2015. "Les principaux déterminants de la compétitivité internationale en Afrique Sub-saharienne [The main determinants of international competitiveness in Sub-Saharan Africa]," MPRA Paper 65024, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 16 Jun 2015.
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    18. World Bank, 2004. "Senegal - Policies and Strategies for Accelerated Growth and Poverty Reduction : A Country Economic Memorandum," World Bank Publications - Reports 14716, The World Bank Group.

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