Cash Transfers and Formal Labor Markets: Evidence from Brazil
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Cash transfer programs have expanded widely in developing countries and have been credited for sizable reductions in poverty. However, their potential disincentive effects on beneficiaries’ labor supply have spurred a heated policy debate. This paper studies the impact of a large-scale program (Bolsa Familia in Brazil) on local labor markets in a context where such concerns could be particularly strong: eligibility is means-tested and we focus on the formal labor market, where earnings are more easily verifiable. Yet, we find that an expansion of Bolsa Familia increased local formal employment, using variation in the size of the reform across municipalities. The evidence is consistent with multiplier effects of cash transfers in the local economy, which dominate potential negative effects on formal labor supply among beneficiaries.

Written with: Francois Gerard, Queen Mary University of London & CEPR, Joana Silva, World Bank & Catolica Lisbon & CEPR

View paper here: www.dropbox.com/s/fgb3wt9r1uzggit/CT_GerardNaritomiSilva.pdf?dl=0
Date: 27 April 2022, 12:30 (Wednesday, 1st week, Trinity 2022)
Venue: Manor Road Building, Manor Road OX1 3UQ
Venue Details: Seminar Room A
Speaker: Joana Naritomi (London School of Economics)
Organising department: Department of Economics
Organisers: Julien Labonne (University of Oxford), Simon Quinn (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: suzanne.george@economics.ox.ac.uk
Part of: CSAE Lunchtime Seminars
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8516497728017/WN_AxXcx-4AQcCUxHcWTJR78g
Audience: Public
Editors: Suzanne George, Claire Goode