Comments 1

1. Comments 1 • Both books synthesize knowledge in accessible manner and chapters provide innovative findings (Chapter 2) • As the authors indicate they struggle a bit with the organization of the book • Policies that have an impact on incomes/wages are also likely to have an impact on the structure and the level of employment. Treating “employment” and “inequality” separately, etc • Challenge faced in addressing globalization and employment/social policies. There are different frameworks and different policies on how to view this.

2. Comments 2 • Chapter 7 nice summary of literature…… One caveat on measuring inequality: • Content that better tax records versus household surveys. However in developing countries tax records difficult to get/large informal sector, tax evasion. There has been a lot of recent advances on household and labor force surveys in design, questionnaires ( capturing government transfers, bussiness, and capital income that have allowed to measure inequality over time….. • Chapter 6 social policies, nice review, needed more examples from developing countries • “Flexicurity” systems first best, In developing countries public work programs (while developing tax collection capacity) • There had been uneven lessons on public work programs ( maybe it worked in India but this type of schemes have been under tight scrunity in other contexts, cite cases) • Book on Myth and facts: gender dimension • Authors content that “ jobs in labor intensive industries have contributed to women’s economic opportunity but it has been plagued by persistent low wages, wage inequality, and job instability“ • Recent study on the end of the MFA show for nine large developing countries that the female/male gaps has narrowed and that working conditions have been improving. However, shedding of female employment with upgrading of the industry , ….