Economic growth, labor and productivity in Brazil and the United States: a comparative analysis

Vol. 34 No. 2 (2014)

Apr-Jun / 2014
Published April 1, 2014
PDF-English
PDF-English

How to Cite

Gori Maia, Alexandre, and Esther Menezes. 2014. “Economic Growth, Labor and Productivity in Brazil and the United States: A Comparative Analysis”. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy 34 (2):212-29. https://centrodeeconomiapolitica.org.br/repojs/index.php/journal/article/view/269.

Economic growth, labor and productivity in Brazil and the United States: a comparative analysis

Alexandre Gori Maia
Professor, Institute of Economics, State University of Campinas, Unicamp/IE.
Esther Menezes
Economist, State Department of Public Management.
Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 34 No. 2 (2014), Apr-Jun / 2014, Pages 212-229

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the relation between economic growth and labor market dynamics in Brazil between 1981 and 2009, making a comparison with the United States. Among the findings, one can mention that economic growth in Brazil has been related to a massive incorporation of labor force in labor intensive activities, whereas, in the United States, to a substantial improvement of labor productivity in high-technology activities. Despite the favorable economic context in the 2000s, huge inequalities between these countries have widened since the structure of the Brazilian labor market remained with few or no changes.

JEL Classification: J21; J24; J31.


Keywords: Brazil labor productivity economic growth labor market