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Structural change, relative prices and functional income distribution: the Brazilian case (1995-2009)

Abstract

This paper aims to measure the contribution of transformations to the productive structure on the evolution of the aggregate labor share in Brazil from 1995 to 2009. We applied a structural decomposition of the labor share evolution, isolating the effect of modifications on the sectoral composition of real income from the effects related to relative prices adjustments and the path of average real wages in relation to productivity. The changes in the sectoral composition of income played a relevant role in explaining the evolution of aggregate labor share. However, these changes were mainly due to modifications in the structure of relative prices rather than changes in real composition of income. Finally, we observed that these results are most likely associated with the institutional changes that took place in the period, particularly the privatizations in the 1990s and real minimum wage increases in the 2000s.

Keywords:
Labor share; Structural change; Relative prices; Real average wage

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