This paper studies the interplay between wage gap and government spending in a small open economy facing a liberalization of commodities trade with the external world. We consider a developing economy with two sectors: an export sector, which uses capital and unskilled labour, and an import-competing sector, which uses capital and skilled labour. In this speci c factor model, the return to capital is the link between the two sectors. We show that there exists a direct relation between trade liberalization, which decreases the skilled-unskilled wage gap, and the level of government expenditure. However, either an unbalanced distribution of political bargaining power, or tariff revenue co- nancing of public spending may break this direct relation.
Trade tariff, wage gap and public spending
GIURANNO, MICHELE GIUSEPPE;NOCCO, ANTONELLA
2015-01-01
Abstract
This paper studies the interplay between wage gap and government spending in a small open economy facing a liberalization of commodities trade with the external world. We consider a developing economy with two sectors: an export sector, which uses capital and unskilled labour, and an import-competing sector, which uses capital and skilled labour. In this speci c factor model, the return to capital is the link between the two sectors. We show that there exists a direct relation between trade liberalization, which decreases the skilled-unskilled wage gap, and the level of government expenditure. However, either an unbalanced distribution of political bargaining power, or tariff revenue co- nancing of public spending may break this direct relation.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
