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Allocation of Labor in Urban West Africa: Insights from the Pattern of Labor Supply and Skill Premiums

Author

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  • Ralitza Dimova
  • Christophe J. Nordman
  • François Roubaud
Abstract
Using comparable data from five West African capitals, we assess the rationale behind development policies targeting high rates of school enrollment through the prism of allocation of labor and earnings effects of skills across the formal and informal sectors, and not working. We find that people with high levels of education allocate to the small formal sector, while less educated workers allocate to the informal sector. While high levels of education are given more value in the relatively smaller sectors of salaried employment, observed skills like education appear to be fairly unprofitable in the larger self‐employment sector. The fact that only the small formal sector in urban West Africa both seems to absorb highly educated workers and provide high skill premiums may be an important reason for the observed low demand for education and high dropout rates.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:14:y:2010:i:1:p:74-92
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9361.2009.00540.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jean-Pierre Cling & Mireille Razafindrakoto & François Roubaud, 2014. "Segmentation and informality in Vietnam: A Survey of Literature," Working Papers DT/2014/14, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    2. Dimova, Ralitza & Gbakou, Monnet, 2013. "The Global Food Crisis: Disaster, Opportunity or Non-event? Household Level Evidence from Côte d’Ivoire," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 185-196.
    3. Ralitza Dimova & Kevwe Pela, 2018. "Entrepreneurship: structural transformation, skills and constraints," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 203-220, June.
    4. Mathias Kuepie & Christophe Nordman, 2011. "Éducation et marchés du travail à Brazzaville et Pointe Noire (Congo-Brazzaville)," Working Papers DT/2011/11, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    5. Mathias Kuepié & Christophe J. Nordman, 2016. "Where Does Education Pay Off in Sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Two Cities of the Republic of Congo," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(1), pages 1-27, January.
    6. Radchenko, Natalia, 2014. "Heterogeneity in Informal Salaried Employment: Evidence from the Egyptian Labor Market Survey," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 169-188.
    7. Bocquier, Philippe & Nordman, Christophe J. & Vescovo, Aude, 2010. "Employment Vulnerability and Earnings in Urban West Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(9), pages 1297-1314, September.
    8. Ralitza Dimova & Monnet Gbakou, 2012. "A right price for rice? Côte d’Ivoire insights into the welfare implications of the ‘global food crisis’," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 17212, GDI, The University of Manchester.
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