Reintegration Through Active Labour Market Reforms (REALM)

Myanmar is in a historical political, economic and social transition. A key element to ensure inclusive development in the transition is a well-functioning labour market. Recognizing this, the Government of Myanmar has set in motion a myriad of initiatives to improve labour market dynamism while also protecting workers’ rights.

The process has so far prioritized the “pace of reform” instead of building a rigorous evidence base. However, the Government’s reform intentions has recently been challenged, questioning its true objectives in terms of reintegration across ethnicity and gender. Little is therefore known about the potential consequences of recent labour reforms across different groups in Myanmar. Moreover, since a very high share of the Myanmar work force is employed informally an important challenge will be to identify how these new labour laws directly or indirectly influence informal workers and employers. REALM will fill this gap:

REALM will clarify the debates and generate new knowledge about labour market reforms and their distributional impacts across gender and ethnic divides, using up-to-date quantitative analytical tools and newly generated data with a view of supporting improved policymaking.

Researchers

Name Title Job responsibilities
Finn Tarp Professor Development Economics; Poverty; Income Distribution and Growth; Micro- and Macroeconomic Policy and Modeling Billede af Finn Tarp
Henrik Hansen Head of Department Applied Econometrics; Development Economics; Development Aid; Impact Evaluation; Vietnam Billede af Henrik Hansen
Neda Trifkovic Assistant Professor - Tenure Track Development Economics, Agricultural Economics, Food Policy, Food Standards, Global Value Chains, Contract Farming, Labor Billede af Neda Trifkovic

Funded by:

Logo: Ministry of foreign affairs

Reintegration Through Active Labour Market Reforms (REALM) has received a three year funding from Danida Fellowship Centre

Period:  January 2019 - December 2021