Distributional Implications of Labor Market Reforms: Learning from Spain's Experience
Title | Distributional Implications of Labor Market Reforms: Learning from Spain's Experience PDF eBook |
Author | Ara Stepanyan |
Publisher | International Monetary Fund |
Pages | 30 |
Release | 2020-02-13 |
Genre | Business & Economics |
ISBN | 1513526871 |
Spain’s structural reforms, implemented around 2012, have arguably contributed to a faster and stronger economic recovery. In particular, there is strong evidence that the 2012 labor market reforms increased wage flexibility, which helped the Spanish economy to regain competitiveness and create jobs. But the impact of these labor reforms on income inequality and social inclusion has not been analyzed much. This paper aims to shed light on this issue by employing an econometric decomposition procedure combined with the synthetic control method. The results indicate that the 2012 labor reforms have helped improve employment and income equality outcomes with no substantial impact on the overall risk of poverty. Nevertheless, the reforms appear to have induced a deterioration of average hours worked, in-work poverty, and possibly also of involuntary part-time employment.
Inequality in the Spanish Labor Market During the COVID-19 Crisis
Title | Inequality in the Spanish Labor Market During the COVID-19 Crisis PDF eBook |
Author | Ana Lariau |
Publisher | International Monetary Fund |
Pages | 27 |
Release | 2022-01-28 |
Genre | Business & Economics |
ISBN |
We analyze the differential impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the Spanish labor market across population groups, as well as its implications for income inequality. The main finding is that young, less educated, and low skilled workers, as well as women are the most affected by the COVID-19 shock in terms of job loss rates. The differential impacts were especially acute at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and remain robust after taking into account the heterogeneity of sector characteristics. Given that these vulnerable groups were positioned in the lower end of the income distribution before the crisis, we hypothesize that income inequality likely has increased due to the pandemic. Policies aiming at reducing inequality in the labor market need to go beyond measures that target the hardest-hit sectors and support the vulnerable groups more directly.
Explaining Distributional Effects of Labor Market Reforms
Title | Explaining Distributional Effects of Labor Market Reforms PDF eBook |
Author | Reto Bürgisser |
Publisher | |
Pages | 101 |
Release | 2013 |
Genre | |
ISBN |
The Labor Market and Economic Adjustment
Title | The Labor Market and Economic Adjustment PDF eBook |
Author | Pierre-Richard Agénor |
Publisher | International Monetary Fund |
Pages | 98 |
Release | 1995-11-01 |
Genre | Business & Economics |
ISBN | 1451854781 |
This paper examines the role of the labor market in the transmission process of adjustment policies in developing countries. It begins by reviewing the recent evidence regarding the functioning of these markets. It then studies the implications of wage inertia, nominal contracts, labor market segmentation, and impediments to labor mobility for stabilization policies. The effect of labor market reforms on economic flexibility and the channels through which labor market imperfections alter the effects of structural adjustment measures are discussed next. The last part of the paper identifies a variety of issues that may require further investigation, such as the link between changes in relative wages and the distributional effects of adjustment policies.
Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality
Title | Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality PDF eBook |
Author | Ms.Era Dabla-Norris |
Publisher | International Monetary Fund |
Pages | 39 |
Release | 2015-06-15 |
Genre | Business & Economics |
ISBN | 1513547437 |
This paper analyzes the extent of income inequality from a global perspective, its drivers, and what to do about it. The drivers of inequality vary widely amongst countries, with some common drivers being the skill premium associated with technical change and globalization, weakening protection for labor, and lack of financial inclusion in developing countries. We find that increasing the income share of the poor and the middle class actually increases growth while a rising income share of the top 20 percent results in lower growth—that is, when the rich get richer, benefits do not trickle down. This suggests that policies need to be country specific but should focus on raising the income share of the poor, and ensuring there is no hollowing out of the middle class. To tackle inequality, financial inclusion is imperative in emerging and developing countries while in advanced economies, policies should focus on raising human capital and skills and making tax systems more progressive.
Grievances and Public Protests
Title | Grievances and Public Protests PDF eBook |
Author | Martín Portos |
Publisher | Springer Nature |
Pages | 294 |
Release | 2020-08-20 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 3030534057 |
This book sheds light on the role that grievances play for mobilisation dynamics in a context of material deprivation. Why do people protest? To what extent do grievances account for the varying size of protest events over time? Covering different levels of analysis, the author argues that effects of socioeconomic aspects (both objective-material deprivation and subjective-attitudinal grievances) are mediated by political attitudes, especially political dissatisfaction. He develops a framework to account for the dynamics, trajectory and timing of the cycle of contention that unfolded in Spain in the shadow of the Great Recession, contributing not only to the field of social movement studies but to our broader understanding of European politics, political sociology, political economy and economic sociology.
Portuguese Economic Development and External Funding in the Modern Era
Title | Portuguese Economic Development and External Funding in the Modern Era PDF eBook |
Author | Nuno Cunha Rodrigues |
Publisher | Liverpool University Press |
Pages | 224 |
Release | 2021-10-27 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1782847472 |
After World War II, with the triumph of multilateralism, several international organizations were created, including two which would be of special importance for the external funding of the Portuguese economy in the second half of the twentieth century and in the early twenty-first. The European Union and the International Monetary Fund have been responsible for providing large amounts of funding, both in periods of economic development and during times of financial crisis. This contributory volume provides a thorough analysis on specific case studies: the Marshall Plan (1949-1952); the three IMF interventions (in the seventies, eighties and the 2011 bailout); the implementation of the first EU funds Portugal received prior to accession; and the debate on the new framework for European funds for the period 2021-2027. These case study analyses provide an overview of the legal, economic and financial implications that such external funding has on the country at different times and in different economic contexts. Of particular import at all times is the public finance legal framework, and this is especially the case for the new European funding structures, which has attracted some criticism. And for any future IMF financial assistance and its political implementation implications. Portuguese Economic Development and External Funding in the Modern Era provides important insights into economic development, crisis management, financial assistance and European investment funds. While the work is Portuguese-centred, the topics investigated and the means of analysis adopted are applicable to other countries. This is the first book to address economic development and external funding, and it will inevitably be used as a template for future research.