University of Ottawa, Canada, and IZA, Germany
IZA World of Labor role
Author
Current position
Professor, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada
Research interest
Labor economics, demography, social policy
Positions/functions as a policy advisor
Consultant to International Development Research Centre; and to Employment and Social Development Canada
Past positions
Sector Manager and Lead Economist, Human Development Unit, Europe and Central Asia Region, World Bank
Qualifications
PhD, University of California at Los Angeles, 1988
Selected publications
-
“Labor market regulation: What do we know about their impacts in Developing Countries?” World Bank Research Observer (Forthcoming).
-
“Do employment subsidies work? Evidence from regionally targeted subsidies in Turkey.” Labour Economics 17:4 (2010): 710–722 (with N. Meltem Daysal and C. Pagés).
-
“The limited job prospects of displaced workers: Evidence from two cities in China.” Economic Change and Restructuring 41:3 (2008): 187–207 (with N.-H. Blunch).
-
Designing labor market regulations in developing countries
Labor market regulation should aim to improve the functioning of the labor market while protecting workers
Gordon Betcherman, May 2014Governments regulate employment to protect workers and to improve labor market efficiency. However, employment regulations can be controversial, often complicated by opposing ideological views. Thus, it is important for policymakers in developing countries to base decisions on empirical evidence of the impacts of these regulations. The majority of the evidence suggests that most countries have set their regulations in the appropriate range. But it can be costly when countries either overregulate or underregulate their labor market.MoreLess