Surplus Labor Research Articles

Формирование новых этнических групп в Калмыкии в 1957–1991 гг.

Introduction. The article discusses the shaping of largest ethnic clusters (besides those of Kalmyks and Russians proper) across the Kalmyk ASSR in 1957–1991. The process is of certain scientific and practical interest, since it may extend our knowledge of how ethnic structures in Russia would take shape, including in the particular region of Kalmykia. Goals. The article aims at outlining the specified process in the territory of the Kalmyk ASSR at the final stage of the Soviet era. The study employs the historical/comparative and historical/genetic methods to examine materials from the National Archive of Kalmykia, published documents and statistical tables, republican newspaper articles. Results. The work investigates some circumstances behind the emergence of new ethnic clusters, shows their population dynamics, types and forms of resettlement, analyzes official policies and interethnic relations between locals and migrants. The present-day ethnic structure of Kalmykia started taking shape after the Kalmyk people’s autonomy was restored in 1957. The Government invested considerable funds to reconstruct and develop the Kalmyk ASSR but the available labor resources of Kalmyk homecomers and Russian natives were insufficient. So, the authorities were forced to recruit laborers in other regions. Stable new ethnic communities emerged in rural areas, the majority of the migrants having arrived from neighboring North Caucasian republics then characterized by intense population growth and excess labor resources. Shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, urgently evacuated Meskhetian Turks and Kurds were also resettled to the republic. Conclusions. The emergence of new ethnic clusters in the Kalmyk ASSR was facilitated by the Government’s large investments that resulted in increased jobs unable to be filled by homecomers and locals. There were no special ethnic resettlement projects but the granted employment opportunities in the reestablished republic were attractive enough, which led to a migration surge and the shaping of new ethnic communities.

Global Accumulation & Gendered Class Exploitation: Theory and Evidence from the Garment Industry During the Covid Pandemic

The paper conducts a gendered class analysis of the impact of the Covid pandemic on the global garment industry to explain the coproduction of retailers’ profits in the core, as measured by higher retailer markups, and the biopolitical control over the minds and bodies of women working on production lines via exploitation and oppression (wage-theft, intensification, violence) in the Global South. The paper proposes the concept of an SRT-augmented rate of exploitation to distinguish between necessary and surplus labor performed at two sites, that of the factory as well as the household. The framework demonstrates how, in the aftermath of supply-chain shortages, gendered forms of absolute & relative surplus-value became critical to retailers’ markups at the cost of immiserating working-class women in peripheral capitalist economies. We posit the ‘housewife proletarian’ as negotiating two crises, a crisis of accumulation at the factory and a crisis of care-labor at home, and show how a dynamic interaction of these twin crises led to increased violence and oppression against women at both sites. We then draw upon a host of empirical sources from recent quantitative/qualitative surveys to explore how working women reported these experiences themselves. The paper concludes by arguing that zooming into these differences, as well as similarities, across peripheral economies can not only improve our understanding of how victims of gendered class exploitation subjectively experienced the transformed biopolitics of manufacturing in the aftermath of the pandemic, but can also enrich our general understanding of SRT as a theory of under-development by unearthing the structural relations of violence between monopsonic power and gendered class exploitation.

Does reliable electricity mean lesser agricultural labor wages? Evidence from Indian villages

Using a panel of 1,171 villages in rural India that were surveyed in the India Human Development Surveys, I perform a difference-in-differences analysis to find that improvements in electricity reliability have a negative effect on the increase in casual agricultural labor wage rates. Changes in men’s wage rates are found to be affected more adversely than women’s, resulting in a smaller widening of the gender wage gap. I find that better electricity reliability reduces the time spent by women in fuel collection substantially which could potentially increase labor supply. The demand for labor remains unaffected by reliability, which could lead the surplus in labor supply to cause wage rates to stunt. However, I show that electrical appliances such as groundwater pumps considerably increase labor demand indicating that governments could target increasing the adoption of electric pumps along with bettering the quality of electricity to absorb the surplus labor into agriculture.

Political economy of the ‘agrarian–urban frontier’ in Pakistan: Agrarian transformation, social reproduction and exploitation

AbstractThe paper underscores the need to reconsider the ontological separation between processes of production and reproduction in the context of agrarian‐urban interlinkages. It synthesizes ‘value theory of inclusion’ with a notion of ‘unfair bargaining power’ to offer a new understanding of processes of agrarian change in the context of Pakistan. Expansion of the agrarian–urban frontier, one of the defining characteristics of the contemporary agrarian change in Pakistan, constitutes a crucial yet undertheorized site of value extraction. The paper shows that contemporary processes of capital accumulation rely on the swift conversion of agricultural land into commercial real estate, manifested in the form of gated housing enclaves. This process, on the one hand, accelerates the devalourization of small‐farm‐based production, and on the other hand, it allows affluent residents of gated housing enclaves to extract gendered surplus labour in the form of domestic workers from the growing pool of ‘classes of labour’. In short, the expansion of agrarian–urban frontier is predicated on devalourization of agrarian livelihoods and exploitation of women's labour.

Evaluation of the Quality of Professional Training and Education Under the Standards of Total Quality Management

The total quality management standards in vocational training and education are crucial for reforming the vocational training system to overcome the shortage of skilled labour in the domestic labour market and diversify the country’s income by exporting surplus labour to foreign markets. To support economic growth, especially in priority sectors, it is necessary to adhere to total quality management standards in Vocational Training and Education (used in the process of Institutional and Program Accreditation of educational institutions in Libya and Algeria). The article investigates the compliance of vocational training and education in Algeria with these standards (based on the example of the Center for Vocational Training and Apprenticeship “Ould Cheikh El Arabi” in Relizane). The solution to this research problem is relevant, among other things, because, thanks to regulated state programs in such sectors as construction, public works and agriculture, the Algerian government has allowed construction and contracting companies to hire foreign labour from China, Turkey, Egypt and other countries, which has led to an increase in unemployment in the domestic labour market. That is why it is relevant to identify why the Algerian labour market cannot provide qualified labour to meet the needs of supplier companies and contractors. The study is based on the survey of a random sample of 150 students, 40.43% of the total number of students enrolled at the Centre. To ensure the clarity and coherence of the questionnaire, a preliminary study was conducted with a random selection of 25 students, eliminating linguistic and methodological imbalances. 6 expert reviewers confirmed the validity of the questionnaire content. Reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha test. The questionnaire’s content is structured according to five main criteria contained in the Total Quality Management Standards in Vocational Training and Education, each consisting of a set of indicators and measures to assess the fulfilment degree of the criterion. They evaluate the quality of educational and training programs (6 paragraphs), the quality of teaching staff (6 paragraphs), the quality of students’ affairs (8 paragraphs), the management quality of the educational institution (9 paragraphs), and the quality of structures and services (10 paragraphs). During the questionnaire, students expressed their opinion on the importance of a particular criterion using a five-step Likert scale. Based on the results, the arithmetic means, and standard deviations of the degree of students’ approval of the importance and fulfilment degree of each criterion as a whole and its individual paragraphs were calculated. The influence of these criteria on the dependent variable − the quality of training − was assessed using the Pearson correlation matrix. Based on the study results, several recommendations have been investigated to improve the quality management efficiency of training and education at the Centre.

Challenges and Limitations Arisen from China's Mass Higher Education Shift and Its Expansion Policies: Perspectives of Students, Institutions and Society

The Chinese government has taken numerous policy measures to develop its higher education system since Reform and Opening Up. Their commitment to expanding access to higher education has led to a remarkable increase in the number of universities and enrollment rates. However, this expansion has prompted many challenges and limitations. This research paper presents the multifaceted challenges and limitations faced by Chinese higher education expansion from the perspectives of students, institutions, and society. From the perspective of students, the first challenge brought by the more extensive access to higher education is the increased competition in K-12 education. In order for their children to be more competitive, students' parents invest a considerable amount of money in extracurricular tutoring which has brought a considerable financial burden to the student's family. From the institutional perspective, the rapidly increasing number of students brought the institution various challenges including limited resources, space, and faculty members. Lastly, from the perspective of society, there are many challenges and limitations regarding increasing access to higher education including the failure to improve social mobility, excessive labor in the job market, etc. Through a comprehensive examination of the challenges and limitations of Chinese higher education, this paper clarifies the complexity of the Chinese higher education system and offers insights into potential strategies for improvement.

UNVEILING THE INVISIBLE:EXAMINING THE LEGAL COMPLEXITY AND SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS OF GIG WORKERS

Gig economy has seen dramatic increase in the workforce participation due to Digital Revolution, Excess Labour supply, Outbreak of Pandemic 2020. However, Gig workers are struggling for social security benefits(Health Benefits, Pension Plans, Maternity Leaves, Accidental Plans, Insurance, Leave Payment, Accidental benefits), that is essential for just and equitable society that governed by regulatory bodies through statutes. However, Unorganized economy in general and particularly Gig workers aredenied to have economic protection due to their legal Status. Prior to Code on Social Security 2020 gig workers are considered as sharing partners and Firms are not obliged to provides economic benefits to sharing partners. Despite having potential,Gig workers have no social security due to the legal complexity of their status as compared to traditional workers. This paper is an attempt to examine the legal taxonomy and analysis of social security issues and to understand the potential and reach of gig workers in the economy. Objective: 1. To examine the legal Status of Gig workers in India. 2. To Understand the social security issues of gig workers. 3. To understand the potential and reach of gig workers in the economy. Hypothesis: 1. The legal status of traditional and Gig workers is the same. 2. There is no significant difference in social security available to traditional and Gig Workers 3. There is no impact of the Gig economy on the Nations Economy. Research Methodology: This research paper is solely based on secondary research from various published and unpublished sources like Magazines, Websites, Newspapers, and Government and non-government organizations.

Labour mobility, short-time work and working from home: establishments' behaviour during the COVID-19 crisis

PurposeWe enquire whether short-time work (STW) avoids firings as intended by policymakers and is associated with unintended side effects by subsidising some establishments and locking in some employees. Additionally, where it was feasible, establishments used working from home (WFH) to continue working without risking an increase in COVID-19 infections and allowing employed parents to care for children attending closed schools.Design/methodology/approachUsing 21 waves of German high-frequency establishment panel data collected during the COVID-19 crisis, we investigate how STW and WFH are associated with hirings, firings, resignations and excess labour turnover (or churning).FindingsOur results show the important influences of STW and working from home on employment dynamics during the pandemic. By means of STW, establishments are able to avoid an increase in involuntary layoffs and hiring decreases significantly. In contrast, WFH is associated with a rise in resignations, as can be expected from a theoretical perspective.Originality/valueWhile most of the literature on STW and WFH is unrelated and remains descriptive, we consider them in conjunction and conduct panel data analyses. We apply data and methods that allow for the dynamic pattern of STW and working from home during the pandemic. Furthermore, our data include relevant establishment-level variables, such as the existence of a works council, employee qualifications, establishment size, the degree to which the establishment was affected by the COVID-19 crisis, industry affiliation and a wave indicator for the period the survey was conducted.

Work-based learning: Expansive learning, désoeuvrement, social justice and VET

The paper raises important questions about the relationship between Vocational Education and Training (VET), work-based learning (WBL) and social justice. It adopts an analysis that moves beyond conceptualisations that validate WBL as an acknowledgement of the dignity of labour. It seeks to go beyond analyses that mobilise a conventional understanding of expansive learning. How then can we develop a broader understanding of WBL and VET? Such an understanding needs to acknowledge socio-economic contexts are marked by a fluidity and surplus labour and for many worklessness – what some have described as désoeuvrement. Labor can be an expression of our species being and can be found in unwaged work and the activities we engage in to express our humanity. Such labour is external to the oppressions and exploitation that are features of much waged labour. Is it then possible to conceive of an expansive notion of VET that goes beyond wage-based cultures of expansive learning towards a position that has embedded within it a commitment towards collective well-being, social justice and an understanding of the vocational that moves beyond a focus on waged labour and the interests of capital.

Trade and Labor-Allocation: Evidence from Sectoral Embodied Labor Transfer between China and Africa

Trade and Labor-Allocation: Evidence from Sectoral Embodied Labor Transfer between China and Africa

Calculation and Cause Analysis of Hidden Unemployment—A Case Study of the Northeast State-Owned Forest Areas in China

The Northeast State-owned Forest Areas comprise the largest region of resources in China. The transformation of the Northeast State-owned Forest Areas is due to various stimuli, such as policies, systems, and markets. In the context of ecological construction and the reform of the state-owned forest system in Northeast China, these have undergone a transformation in terms of economy, society, and ecology. However, a mismatch persists between employment and industrial structures, leading to hidden unemployment. This study employs the framework of hidden unemployment theory, utilizing the Cobb–Douglas production function to quantify the hidden unemployment rate, revealing the relationship between transformation and hidden unemployment. Through this analysis, the underlying causes of hidden unemployment in Northeast China’s state-owned forest regions are scrutinized. There is a bidirectional causal relationship between ecological transformation and hidden unemployment, while there is a unidirectional causal relationship between economic transformation and hidden unemployment. Variance decomposition analysis highlights the substantial contribution of social transformation, followed by economic transformation, with ecological transformation playing a comparatively smaller role. Based on the above research, this article proposes expediting the reforms within the forest industry groups, facilitating the separation of governmental and corporate interests. Additionally, it advocates for strategic forestry development planning to effectively absorb surplus labor, and proposes three policy directives aimed at supporting forest area employees, including provisions for job transfers and reemployment opportunities.

Analysis on the Influence of Rural Tourism on Farmers' Income in Western Hunan

Background and Aim: In 2017, the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China first proposed the Rural Revitalization Strategy, and two months later, the Rural Work Conference clarified the three goals of implementing this strategy, pointing out that comprehensive rural revitalization should be achieved by 2050. The vitality of rural areas is linked to the vitality of the nation; the strength of the rural areas is tied to the strength of the nation. Implementing the Rural Revitalization Strategy is a significant measure to promote national prosperity and people's happiness, achieve common prosperity, and construct a modern economic system. It points the way to solving the "issues relating to agriculture; rural areas and farmers" and serves as the primary focus in the new era. With China's victory in the fight against poverty in 2021, the focus on the "issues relating to agriculture; rural areas, and farmers" has shifted from poverty alleviation to comprehensive rural revitalization. The purpose of this study is to assess the relevant factors that affect rural tourism and try to improve the income of farmers in western Hunan. Materials and Methods: Based on the panel data of Western Hunan from 2010 to 2020, this paper conducts an empirical study on the influence mechanism of rural tourism development on farmers' income increase in western Hunan. This study uses primarily quantitative analysis methods. It is mainly divided into literature analysis and statistical analysis methods, arranged as follows: Firstly, relevant scholarly research findings and literature sources about the subject matter are retrieved from reputable academic databases such as CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), Wanfang, and Baidu Academic. The perspectives of domestic and international scholars are elucidated, the existing literature landscape is organized, and the research framework of this article is outlined. Subsequently, the theoretical foundations relevant to the study are identified, and conceptual definitions are formulated. Lastly, the fundamental principles of the theoretical foundations are distilled and enhanced, and a concise summary is provided, culminating in the construction of the theoretical model for this article. Finally, explores the relationship between the rural tourism industry and farmers' income, and takes infrastructure construction, urbanization level, and science and technology level as the variables of mediating effect. Through the statistical analysis software SPSS24 in quantitative research, the reliability and validity of variables were tested, and then statistics and correlation analysis were described, finally, regression analysis was carried out, and data charts were displayed. Results: The results of the model analysis show that the development of rural tourism in western Hunan plays a significant role in promoting the farmers' income. Rural tourism development can not only comprehensively promote the urbanization process, and effectively improve the rural scientific and technological level of Western Hunan, but also contribute to the construction of characteristic ecological civilization and human capital level of western Hunan, and then promote the increase of farmers' income. Conclusion: Therefore, to deepen the promotion effect of rural tourism development on farmers' income, we should first improve the level of rural science and technology and promote the non-agricultural transfer of the rural surplus labor force. Secondly, we should pay attention to the protection of the rural ecological environment and promote sustainable development. At the same time, human capital investment should be strengthened to enhance the quality of farmers themselves. Finally, the government still needs to increase financial support and improve infrastructure construction.

The dyslexic academic: uncovering the challenges faced as neurodiverse in academia and establishing a research agenda

This paper considers some of the hidden challenges which may be faced by the neurodiverse academic. The neurodiverse academic, at times, can be seen as something ‘hidden’, remaining undisclosed due to the challenges which can be faced by making this declaration to colleagues and employers. As a result, our voices are often not heard, and, thus, the difficulties we face overlooked. This has begun to be addressed for the student within higher education, but not the academic. Within this paper I, therefore, reflect on my experience as a dyslexic academic. I consider the challenges of excess labour, increasingly needed to ‘make it’ in academia today, the pressures this creates and impact on mental health. I, also, highlight the divergence, from non-disabled colleagues, which can exist in access to development opportunities. I provide this account to challenge assumptions and spur a research agenda.

Obstacles and New Requirements for China's Current Employment in the Context of Modernization: Based on Marx's Principle of Dialectical Relations Between Productive Forces and Production Relations

Employment is a historical issue that occurs at a specific stage in the process of modernization. According to Marx's theory of historical materialism, employment is a problem that arises in modernization, particularly in industrialization and urbanization. China faces two challenges in its modernization process: insufficient development of its productive forces and current production relations that do not facilitate the development of productive forces. China is in the primary stage of socialism, where mechanized production replaces traditional production modes, resulting in a continuous decline in labor demand while labor supply is increasing. The internal production forces and production relations within society cannot interact, leading to oversupply in the labor market and resulting in a surplus of labor. At the same time, modernization requires a fundamentally new approach to employment in China, while the current employment situation is far from meeting modernization requirements. Therefore, the Chinese government must follow Marx's theory of historical materialism, and deeply reform and innovate its systems and mechanisms to achieve complete unity between production relations and productive forces. Only then can employment problems be solved.

Внедрение передовых производственных технологий в России и оценка компаниями их влияния на рост производительности труда и эффективность производственного процесса

The urgent need for the transition of the Russian economy to a new technological structure under the influence of the current geopolitical and economic-political situation, as well as the strengthening of import substitution processes, poses the task of a qualitative breakthrough in the introduction of modern processes in industrial production and in the economy as a whole. The gen-eral process of the fourth industrial revolution involves the widespread introduction of robotic, au-tomated systems, and artificial intelligence, linked into single complexes interconnected by commu-nications and cloud storage systems. On the one hand, this process can lead to a massive release of labor resources from traditional blue-collar professions. From another point of view, it creates a large number of new professions to serve new directions and solve new problems. However, the answer to the question of the economic feasibility of introducing such technologies is not clearly positive. And here there can be quite unexpected results when the seemingly obvious benefits from the imple-mentation of certain modern solutions of the sixth technological order for specific organizations or industries are not confirmed. In our work, we use surveys of Russian companies for 2022 to assess the current stage of implementation of production and digital technologies. It has been established that the introduction of modern solutions that lead to the transition to a new technological structure is, in some cases, characterized by a negative effect and lack of improvements in labor productivity. Our observation contradicts the generally accepted idea that automation, digitalization and robotiza-tion will lead to the release of a significant number of workers. Moreover, among the key reasons hindering the implementation of advanced technologies, companies cite the lack of qualified per-sonnel and the inability to hire employees with the required level of knowledge and skills. In other words, we are observing a shortage of highly qualified employees against the backdrop of a rather contradictory effect of innovation in terms of freeing up labor. The introduction of technologies such as artificial intelligence or the Internet of things in most cases is characterized by the absence of a positive impact on the efficiency of internal processes and labor productivity. Our observations lead to the conclusion that there is no prospect of a labor surplus in the labor market due to the ongoing processes of the fourth industrial revolution according to Schwab.

Методологические проблемы формирования и применения интегральных территориальных индексов

The article discusses the problems of improving the methodology for constructing composite territorial indices, as well as solving practical problems for their use in managing the socio- economic development of countries and regions. It is shown that, at their core, composite indices, by aggregating a significant array of diverse information, provide an opportunity for an analytical assessment of the current situation in a region (country), comparison of a territory’s position relative to other regions, and construction of analytical regional ratings. Despite the frequency of use, the questions of the applicability of composite indices, the specifics of the methods for their construction, and the objectivity of the estimates obtained on their basis remain unclear. It is shown that at each stage of calculating index estimates there are a number of problems and assumptions that impose restrictions on their use in statistical and economic analysis. The main problems include poor comprehensiveness of assessments, low comparability of information and lack of unambiguous interpretation of results (especially at the regional level), poor representativeness of information and results for international comparisons, and «incompleteness» of the national statistical system (especially at the municipal level). Lack of unified generally accepted indicators of territorial development and widespread use of expert assessments. The latter often leads to excessive labor intensity and subjectivity of calculations. Particular attention is paid to the issues of modifying the use of integral indices for the purposes of regional policy. The work shows that in the absence of real alternatives to integral indices, on the basis of which series of rating comparisons are then built, it is necessary to continue working on their improvement in order to use them as regional diagnostic tools and factors for making strategic management decisions

Wages, labour markets, and living standards in China, 1530–1840

This article studies the long-term wage development in China between 1530 and 1840. In the long run, nominal wages moved in tandem with prices, but did not respond as quickly as the increase in prices. Real wages experienced two substantial falls between the 1620s-1650s and the 1740s-1760s, but remained relatively stable in the remainder of the period examined. Rural-urban wage disparities suggest that the agricultural sector, rather than urban industries, continued to absorb surplus labour. A comparison of wages in Lower Yangzi China and England suggests that the wage gap widens after 1700.

Study on the Status Quo, Trend, Causes and Countermeasures of Population Aging in China

Due to the inevitable trend of social development and the change of family planning and birth idea, Chinas aging presents a large scale, and the characteristics of population aging fast are rare in the world. The consequent problems include the continuous shrinking of the size of the labor force, the heavy burden of social pensions, and the downward pressure on economic operations. Based on the relevant data of the Seventh Census and the latest theoretical research, this paper mainly analyzes the current situation, trend and causes of aging, and actively promotes the policy of postponing retirement, and puts forward specific solutions, including developing surplus labor force; establishing a redistribution system commensurate with the aging society; accelerating the construction of a sound and perfect social security system; developing high and new technology and develop artificial intelligence machines; improving the education system for the elderly, so as to provide useful reference for China to successfully cope with the aging population.

2437. The Impact of Healthcare Associated Infections on Costs and Lengths of Stay 2019-2023

Abstract Background As 85% of hospitals in the U.S. face unsustainable operating margins, extraordinary labor costs (LC) from nursing shortages, and have under resourced infection prevention departments, updated assessments of the costs of healthcare associated infections (HAI) are needed. However, most published cost analyses are either more than a decade old, or did not adjust for timing of infection. We sought to determine excess lengths of stay (LOS) and LC associated with HAI during the COVID-19 era, while adjusting for timing of infection. Timing of Infection Onset In Patients with an HAI Legend: dark orange = days before infection; light orange = days after infection; yellow bar = geometric mean national average length of stay of uninfected patients with the same diagnosis code; green circle = mean length of stay of local uninfected controls Methods All inpatients in an academic tertiary care center and 4 community hospitals in Western NY from 01-01-19 to 12-31-22 were included. Using nationally standardized definitions of catheter-associated urinary tract (CAUTI), central line associated bloodstream (CLABSI), and surgical site infections (SSI), 728 HAIs were identified and compared to patients during the same encounter with the same diagnosis codes (DRG) without an HAI (n= 90,046). Only days after infection onset were used to calculate excess LOS and cost. Results The mean yearly standardized infection ratios (SIRs), as defined by the National Healthcare Safety Network, were 0.89, 0.98, and 1.14 for CLABSI, CAUTI and SSI, respectively. Patients with an HAI had significantly higher LC and longer post-infection LOS (all p-values < 0.005) compared to a national benchmark and their DRG-matched HAI-negative counterparts. Per admission, the average excess labor cost and excess LOS were $43,975, 13.4 days for CLABSI; $31,253, 8.9 days for CAUTI; and $5,985, 1.4 days for SSI (Table). The 4-year total was $23.4 M, and 4810 excess days. 100% of CLABSI and CAUTI occurred after the 13th day, and the pre and post-infection LOS were similar. SSI occurred early in admission, and the post-infection LOS was longer than the pre-infection LOS (Figure). Re-admission occurred for 83% of SSI. For CLABSI and CAUTI excess LOS and costs increased 178% over the study period. Conclusion These findings suggest that for CLABSI and CAUTI, minimizing pre-infection LOS can provide a greater economic and safety impact than focusing entirely on preventing the infection. However, for SSI, focusing on preventing the infection may provide the greatest benefit. Other hospitals can adjust these data based on their individual SIRs. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Social overhead public infrastructure in a Lewis development framework

AbstractThis study explores the interaction between private and public physical capital accumulation within a Lewis development framework, in which public infrastructure is subject to congestion. The model shows that when both levels of capital are relatively low, a crowding‐out of private investment creates the necessary conditions for the emergence of a development trap, from which a surplus labor economy, if left to the free play of its structural forces, may never escape. Once caught in such a trap, the economy can potentially be released through a big push of public or private capital or a sufficiently balanced combination of both.