2008年-世界发展银行全球_Can_Maquila_Booms_Reduce_Poverty__Evidence_from_Honduras_23页_190kb

Can Maquila Booms Reduce Poverty? Evidence from Honduras

Core Content

This policy research working paper investigates the impact of the maquila sector expansion on poverty reduction in Honduras between 1991 and 2006. The maquila sector, which involves the assembly of imported materials for export, has played a significant role in the country's economic transformation, particularly in terms of employment and wages. The study highlights how the growth of this sector has contributed to poverty alleviation, especially for women.

Main Findings

• Poverty Reduction: The maquila sector's growth is estimated to have reduced poverty by 1.5 percentage points in Honduras between 1991 and 2006.
• Contributing Factors:
  • Wage Premium: 0.35 percentage points of poverty reduction is attributed to the wage premium paid to maquila workers.
  • Gender Wage Premium: 0.1 percentage points is linked to the wage premium received by women in the maquila sector.
  • Employment Creation: 1 percentage point of poverty reduction is due to the creation of jobs in the maquila sector.
• Significance of Contribution: Despite women making up only 1.1 percent of the active population, their involvement in the maquila sector significantly contributed to poverty reduction.

Key Information

• Poverty Trends:
  • The proportion of the population living in extreme poverty decreased from 61.5% in 1991 to 47.5% in 2006.
  • The decline was mainly due to urban areas, where extreme poverty fell from 52.2% to 27.9%.
  • Rural extreme poverty remained high, at around 65% throughout the period.
• Economic Growth:
  • Per capita income grew at an average annual rate of 0.9% between 1990 and 2005.
  • The maquila sector accounted for 27% of total exports in 2006, up from nearly zero in 1990.
  • Value added by the sector increased from $16.2 million in 1990 to $1,062.2 million in 2006, at an average annual rate of 33%.
• Sector Characteristics:
  • The maquila sector is heavily dominated by women, with 70% of employees being female in 1991–2006.
  • The sector's growth was driven by trade liberalization, including the Caribbean Basin Initiative and preferential access to the U.S. market.
  • It has become the most important export activity in Honduras, with a significant share of GDP and manufacturing output.
• Labor Trends:
  • The share of the workforce in the maquila sector increased from 1.3% in 1991 to 4.4% in 2006.
  • The poverty rate among maquila workers fell by 22 percentage points, from 54.6% to 32.9%, well above the national average.
  • The share of nonpoor households with a family member in the maquila sector increased from 3.3% in 1991 to 10.8% in 2006.

Methodology

• The study uses the EPHPM (Encuesta Permanente de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples), a nationally representative household survey.
• It employs a regression model to estimate the effects of the maquila sector on wages and poverty, incorporating gender and sector-specific dummy variables.
• The model includes time dummies and industry fixed effects to account for changes over time and differences between sectors.
• The Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) poverty indices are used to measure the headcount, depth, and severity of poverty.

Results

• Wage Premium:
  • Maquila workers earn a 31% wage premium compared to non-maquila workers, after controlling for observable characteristics.
  • Female workers in the maquila sector earn 9.5% more than male workers outside the sector, and 38% more than women outside the sector.
• Gender Wage Gap:
  • The gender wage gap is 16.6 percentage points smaller in the maquila sector compared to other industries.
  • This suggests that the maquila sector has a gender-equalizing effect.
• Dynamic Effects:
  • The study includes difference-in-difference estimators to analyze how the wage premia and gender effects evolved over time.
  • The results indicate that the wage premium for maquila workers grew over the period, supporting the hypothesis that the maquila boom had a positive effect on wages, particularly for women.

Conclusion

The expansion of the maquila sector in Honduras has had a notable impact on poverty reduction, especially for women. While the overall poverty rate declined, the most significant improvements were in urban areas, where the maquila sector provided employment and wage opportunities. The gender wage gap in the maquila sector is smaller than in other sectors, suggesting that the sector may help reduce inequality. The study underscores the importance of considering gender effects when analyzing the poverty impacts of trade liberalization and economic growth.