Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T06:24:05.673Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Obstacles to Labor Absorption in a Developing Economy: Colombia, a Case in Point

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

David T. Geithman  and
Clifford E. Landers
David T. Geithman
Affiliation:
Department of Economics and Business, Russell Sage College, Troy, New York
Clifford E. Landers
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Jersey City State College, Jersey City, New Jersey
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Historically, for the now economically developed countries, a strong positive correlation has normally existed between rising real output and employment levels. Among today's lessdeveloped countries (LDC's) even high growth rates can, and frequently do, fail to generate a concomitant rapid rate of employment expansion. Indeed, so acute is the failure of labor absorption to grow in step with rising incomes that a recent International Labour Organization (I.L.O.) report on Colombia (1970: 47) maintains “development strategy will become very largely employment strategy.”

The unemployment problem is in part due to the rapid population growth rates and even more rapid urban growth rates experienced by most LDC's in the postwar period, and in part it stems from the nature of their development processes (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 1972: 35).

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , August 1973 , pp. 309 - 333
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1973

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baer, W. (1972) “Import substitution and industrialization in Latin America: experiences and interpretations.” Latin American Research Rev. 7 (Spring): 95–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baer, W. and Herve, M.E.A., (1966) “Employment and industrialization in developing countries.” Q. J. of Econonics 80 (February): 88–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bird, R. (1970) “Optimal tax policy for a developing country: the case of Colombia.” Finanzarchiv, N.F. 29 (February): 30–53.Google Scholar
Bruton, H. J. (1967) “Productivity and growth in Latin America.” Amer. Economic Rev. 57 (December), reprinted pp. 291–310 in Nisbet, C. T. (ed.) Latin America-Problems in Economic Development. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Centro de Estudios Sobre Desarrollo Económico (CEDE) (1968) Empleo y Desempleo en Colombia. Bogotá: Universidad de los Andes.Google Scholar
Coale, A. E. (1963) “Population and economic development,” in The Population Dilemma. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Dudley, L. (1972) “Learning and productivity change in metal products.” Amer. Economic Rev. 62 (September): 662–669.Google Scholar
Eckaus, R. S. (1955) “The factor-proportions problem in underdeveloped areas.” Amer. Economic Rev. 45 (September), reprinted pp. 348–378 in Agarwala, A. N. and Singh, S. P. (eds.) The Economics of Underdevelopment. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gregory, P. (1971) “Dualism in labor markets in developing economies,” pp. 5–10 in Economic Development Center Annual Report 1971. Minneapolis and St. Paul: University of Minnesota.Google Scholar
Griffin, K. B. (1968) “Coffee and the economic development of Colombia.” Bull. of Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics 30 (May): 105–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hirschman, A. O. (1958) The Strategy of Economic Development. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press.Google Scholar
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (I.B.R.D.) (1972) Economic Growth of Colombia: Problems and Prospects. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.Google Scholar
International Labour Organization (I.L.O.) (1970) Towards Full Employment-A Programme for Colombia, Prepared by an Inter-Agency Team Organized by the International Labour Organization. Geneva: International Labour Organization.Google Scholar
Leontief, W. (1964) “An international comparison of factor costs and factor use.” Amer. Economic Rev. 54 (June): 335–345.Google Scholar
Myint, H. (1970) “Dualism and the internal integration of the underdeveloped economies.” Banca Nazionale del Lavoro Q. Rev. (June), reprinted pp. 315–347 in Myint, H. (ed.) Economic Theory and the Underdeveloped Countries. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Nelson, R. R., Schultz, T. P., and Slighton, R. L. (1971) Structural Change in a Developing Economy-Colombia's Problems and Prospects. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Pack, H. and Todaro, M. (1969) “Technological transfer, labour absorption and economic development.” Oxford Economic Papers 21 (November): 395–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peacock, A. T. and Shaw, G. K. (1971) “Fiscal measures to improve employment in developing countries: a technical note.” Public Finance 26: 409–418.Google Scholar
Peterson, R. L. (1972) “Economics of information and job search: another view.” Q. J. of Economics 86 (February): 127–131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preston, M. (1972) “Unemployment: why we need a new measurement.” Lloyds Bank Rev., no. 104 (April): 1–7.Google Scholar
Ranis, G. and Fei, J.C.H. (1961) “A theory of economic development.” Amer. Economic Rev. 51 (September): 533–565.Google Scholar
Seers, D. (1970) “Income distribution and employment, a note on some issues raised by the Colombia report.” Bull, of University of Sussex Institute of Development Studies 2 (July): 4–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Solo, R. (1969) “Capital and labor intensive technology in developing countries.” J. of Economic Issues 3 (December): 96–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
U.S. Department of International Commerce (1967) Overseas Business Reports: Market Factors in Colombia. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Warriner, D. (1970) “Problems of rural-urban migration: some suggestions for further investigation.” International Labour Rev. 101 (May): 441–451.Google Scholar
Zeitlin, M. (1972) “Camilo's Colombia,” pp. 146 in Zeitlin, M. (ed.) Father Camilo Torres-Revolutionary Writings. New York: Harper & Row.Google Scholar

A correction has been issued for this article:

Errata