The 2013 World Development Report on Jobs: An elephant in the room?
Rolph van der Hoeven invited by ODI to review the latest World Development Report on Jobs.
Summary
The World Development Report (WDR) gives a good description of the different types of job, including non-wage jobs and the continuing informalisation of many economies. It emphasises that jobs drive development through various channels, such as increases in living standards, productivity and social cohesion.
This analysis advances thinking in the World Bank, which is noticeable in the ensuing policy sections. The report correctly observes that job creation is not the direct outcome of labour policies themselves, but depends on a wider array of fundamental policies. It also moves on from old arguments that the best labour-market policies are those that increase the flexibility of the labour market to improve efficiency.
About Rolph van der Hoeven
Rolph van der Hoeven is professor of Employment and Development Economics at ISS. His work concentrates on issues of employment, inequality and economic reform
Publication date: Tuesday, 20 November 2012
