TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Dimova, Ralitza
AU  - Nordman, Christophe Jalil
AU  - Roubaud, François
        TI  - Allocation of Labour in Urban West Africa: Implication for Development Policies
        PY  - 2008/Jun/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 3558
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp3558
        AB  - With the use of comparable data from seven West African capitals, we attempt to assess the rationale behind development policies targeting high rates of school enrolment through the prism of allocation of labour and returns to skills across the formal and informal sectors. We find that people with high levels of education allocate to the small formal sector and receive high compensation for their education and experience. Less educated workers allocate to the informal sector. While self-employment reveals some characteristics of a sector of dynamic entrepreneurship, the characteristics of the informal salaried sector are closer to those of a sector of hidden unemployment, or a stepping stone for better jobs in the future.
        KW  - Sub-Saharan West Africa
KW  - returns to skills
KW  - allocation of labour
KW  - self-selection
KW  - informal sector
        ER  -