Do Minimum Wages Reduce Employment in Developing Countries? A Survey and Exploration of Conflicting Evidence

David Neumark and Luis Felipe Munguia Corella

No 26462, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Evidence from studies of the employment effects of minimum wages in developing countries is mixed. One interpretation is that there is simply no clear evidence of disemployment effects in developing countries. Instead, however, we find evidence that the heterogeneity is systematic, with estimated effects more consistently negative in studies with relatively more features for which institutional factors and the competitive model more strongly predict negative effects. These features include whether studies: (i) focus on vulnerable workers; (ii) use data for the formal sector; (iii) cover countries where minimum wage laws are strongly enforced; and (iv) estimate effects for countries and periods with binding minimum wages.

JEL-codes: J18 J23 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lam, nep-lma, nep-ltv and nep-ore
Note: DEV LS
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Published as David Neumark & Luis Felipe Munguía Corella, 2021. "Do minimum wages reduce employment in developing countries? A survey and exploration of conflicting evidence," World Development, vol 137.

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Journal Article: Do minimum wages reduce employment in developing countries? A survey and exploration of conflicting evidence (2021)
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