El dilema del empleo informal y la pobreza monetaria

Rodríguez Núñez, Juan Bautista (2024): El dilema del empleo informal y la pobreza monetaria. Published in: Revista de Estudos AntiUtilitaristas e Pós-Coloniais , Vol. 14, No. 1 (11 November 2024): pp. 1-26.

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between informal employment and monetary poverty in the Dominican Republic, focusing on the structural factors that link both phenomena. Informal workers often lack social protection, face low productivity, and earn subsistence-level wages, trapping them in a cycle of poverty. The study draws from various theoretical frameworks, including Dualist, Institutional, Structuralist, and Voluntarist perspectives, to explain the persistence of informality. It highlights that low education levels and inadequate access to capital are significant determinants of informal employment and poverty. Empirical evidence demonstrates that informal employment exacerbates poverty, as workers in this sector often lack access to financial resources, healthcare, and social protection. Additionally, some workers voluntarily choose informal employment to avoid taxes and regulations in exchange for flexible labor conditions. The findings suggest that structural reforms, including changes in labor laws, social protection expansion, and promotion of technical education, are necessary to address the root causes of informal employment. In conclusion, this paper emphasizes the need for sustainable public policies that foster formal employment opportunities, reduce poverty, and improve the socio-economic conditions of workers in the informal sector.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• English Title: The dilemma of informal employment and monetary poverty
• Language: Spanish
• Keywords: Informal employment, poverty, labor laws, social protection, Dominican Republic
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty > I32 - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor > J23 - Labor Demand; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J4 - Particular Labor Markets > J46 - Informal Labor Markets; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O17 - Formal and Informal Sectors ; Shadow Economy ; Institutional Arrangements

References

Amuedo-Dorantes, C. (2004). Determinants and poverty implications of informal sector work in Chile. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 52(4), 347-368.

Banco Central de la República Dominicana (2010). Metodología de la Encuesta Nacional de Fuerza de Trabajo (ENFT). Santo Domingo: Banco Central de la República Dominicana.

Banco Central de la República Dominicana (2014). Primera Encuesta de Cultura Económica y Financiera de la República Dominicana. Santo Domingo: Banco Central de la República Dominicana.

World Bank (2007). Informality, exit, and exclusion. Washington, DC: World Bank.

World Bank (2017). Evaluación de la eficiencia fiscal y estudio sobre el empleo informal y sus repercusiones en el sistema tributario. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Canelas, C. (2018). Informality and poverty in Ecuador. Small Business Economics. doi:10.1007/s11187-018-0102-9

Cardoza Espinal, M. (2018). Informalidad y fiscalidad en la República Dominicana. En M. Ceara-Hatton et al. (eds.), La informalidad en la República Dominicana (1991-2014). Santo Domingo: CUEPS.

Castro Rosario, L. G., Flores López, O. E. y Rodríguez, P. E. (2018). Determinantes de la pobreza laboral en la República Dominicana. Santo Domingo: Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo.

Collado di Franco, M., y Rojas, J. R. (2015). Medición alternativa de la informalidad laboral en la República Dominicana. Santo Domingo: CREES.

David, A., Pienknagura, S., y Roldos, J. (2020). Labor market dynamics, informality, and regulations in Latin America. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund.

De Soto, H. (1986). El otro sendero. Lima: Instituto Libertad y Democracia.

De Soto, H. (2000). El misterio del capital. Lima: Instituto Libertad y Democracia.

Fields, G. S. (2007). Informality in labor markets. Ithaca: Cornell University ILR School.

Forteza, A., y Rama, M. (2000). Labor market rigidity and the success of economic reforms. Montevideo: Universidad de la República.

Freije, S. (2002). El empleo informal en América Latina y el Caribe. Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank.

Gasparini, L., Tornarolli, L. (2009). Labor informality in Latin America and the Caribbean. Desarrollo y Sociedad, 63, 13-80.

Gertler, P. J., Martínez, S., Premand, P., Rawlings, L. B., y Vermeersch, C. (2017). Impact evaluation in practice. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Gómez Paulino, E. (2019). Impacto de las remesas sobre el alivio de la pobreza. Santo Domingo: Ministerio de Economía.

Guzmán, R. M. (2007). Informalidad en el mercado urbano de la República Dominicana. Santo Domingo: Banco Central de la República Dominicana.

Hart, K. (1973). Informal income opportunities and urban employment in Ghana. Journal of Modern African Studies, 11(1), 61-89.

Henrique de Andrade, G., Bruhn, M. y McKenzie, D. (2013). A helping hand or the long arm of the law? World Bank Policy Research Working Paper.

Harris, J. R., Todaro, M. P. (1970). Migration, unemployment, and development. American Economic Review, 60(1), 126-142.

Jütting, J., y Laiglesia, J. (2009). Employment, poverty reduction, and development. Paris: OECD.

Lewis, W. A. (1954). Economic development with unlimited supplies of labour. Manchester School, 22, 139-191.

Loayza, N. (1997). The economics of the informal sector. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 1727.

Maloney, W. F. (2004). Informality revisited. World Development, 32(7), 1159-1178.

Maloney, W. F., y Bosch, M. (2007). The informal labor market in motion. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Ministerio de Economía, Planificación y Desarrollo (2021). Boletín de estadísticas oficiales de pobreza monetaria. Santo Domingo: MEPyD.

Morillo Pérez, A. (2012). Evolución de la pobreza monetaria en la República Dominicana. Santo Domingo: MEPyD.

OIT (2012). La medición de la informalidad: Manual estadístico. Ginebra: Organización Internacional del Trabajo.

OIT (2014). Evolución del empleo informal en la República Dominicana. Ginebra: Organización Internacional del Trabajo.

OECD (2009). Is informal normal? Paris: OECD Publishing.

Portes, A. (1998). Informalidad: Ensayos sobre teoría y medición. Revista de la Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, 7(13), 259-262.

Tokman, V. E. (1982). Beyond regulation: The informal economy in Latin America. Boulder: Lynne Rienner.

Vuletin, G. (2008). Measuring the informal economy in Latin America and the Caribbean. IMF Working Paper.