Productivity gains and work conditions in coercive labor markets: Experimental evidence from the Bangladesh brick sector
Abstract
Productivity growth in competitive labor markets can improve worker welfare over time through higher wages or better conditions, but it is unclear if productivity gains benefit workers in coercive labor markets (where force or threats shape employment). We examine this issue in the Bangladesh brick sector using a randomized trial that introduced a more efficient production method. Despite large productivity improvements, we find no reduction in (high) rates of labor trafficking or child labor. These findings suggest that in the short-term, productivity growth alone may be insufficient to improve work conditions in coercive settings.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (15)
Grant Miller
School of Medicine
Debashish Biswas
Health Systems and Population Studies Division, The International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B)
Aprajit Mahajan
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Kimberly Singer Babiarz
Department of Health Policy, School of Medicine, Stanford University
Nina Brooks
School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan
Jessie Brunner
Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Stanford Global Studies Division, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University
Sania Ashraf
Department of Health Policy, School of Medicine, Stanford University
Jack Shane
Department of Economics
Alvise Scarabosio
Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford University
Sameer Maithel
Greentech Knowledge Solutions
Shoeb Ahmed
Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)
Moogdho Mahzab
Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Mohammad Rofi Uddin
Health Systems and Population Studies Division, The International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B)
Mahbubur Rahman
Stephen P. Luby
Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University